Pope to meet students as part of synodal process Highlighting the importance of a Church that truly listens, Pope Francis will participate in a virtual meeting hosted by Loyola University in Chicago with students from North, Central and South America. The February 24 virtual meeting, titled ‘Building Bridges: A Synodal Encounter between Pope Francis and…
Catholic bishops in the Holy Land invited their Orthodox counterparts to contribute to the consultation process leading to the 2023 Synod on Synodality. In a letter dated January 24, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (ACOHL) explained that Catholics in the region were taking part in the local stage of a two-year synodal path launched by…
Cardinal Reinhard Marx offered a personal apology to abuse survivors on Thursday, in the wake of a report criticising the handling of cases in his archdiocese of Munich and Freising. Speaking at a live-streamed press conference in Munich, southern Germany, the 68-year-old cardinal said that the treatment of victims was “inexcusable,” reported CNA Deutsch. “I am attributed responsibility in…
Peter’s Pence donations fall by 15% in 2021 Donations to Peter’s Pence fell by around 15% in 2021, the Vatican announced on Friday. In an interview with Vatican News published on January 28, Father Juan A. Guerrero, S.J., prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, said that, while donations were still arriving from some countries, there was…
Chongli, a popular resort town and venue for the main skiing events during the upcoming Winter Olympics, holds a history of persecution and massacre of Catholics in the region during the imperial and communist regimes. The attention on China, host of the February 4-20 Winter Games, has focused on the coronavirus pandemic, diplomatic boycotts due…
Pro-life Catholic leaders reacted with shock and disgust at an activist group’s projection of pro-choice messages on the facade of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, on the eve of the annual March for Life. The group Catholics for Choice took responsibility for the images, which were beamed…
France’s Catholic bishops urged citizens to use upcoming elections to restore basic freedoms and “rules of civility”. “We are going through tough and perilous times, but fear is always a bad counsellor, whereas hope opens the way to courageous and healthy choices,” said the Permanent Council of the Paris-based bishops’ conference. “The risk of fracturing…
The Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in Ethiopia has reiterated its urgent calls for dialogue and unhindered humanitarian access in Tigray, as the UN highlighted an opportunity for a peaceful settlement of the conflicts in the northern region. Father Abraha Hagos, director of the Adigrat Catholic Secretariat, said since December, the Church has been unable to…
Catholic politician rejects accusations in Islamophobia report A Catholic politician has objected to her inclusion in a report on Islamophobia in Europe, saying that it is based on “false accusations”. Marijana Petir, a member of the Croatian parliament, said that the reference to her and others in the European Islamophobia Report 2020, published on December 29,…
Afghanistan has unseated North Korea for the dubious distinction of the most dangerous country in the world for Christians, according to a group that reports on global Christian persecution. A takeover of the government by the Taliban has made it even harder — now, impossible— to live openly as a Christian, advocacy group Open Doors…