Category: World Report

Mother Teresa birthday celebrations cancelled due to Covid-19

The Missionaries of Charity cancelled their customary birthday celebrations for their founder, Mother Teresa, this year after nine religious sisters tested positive for Covid-19. Wednesday marked the 110th birthday of Saint Mother Teresa, who died in 1997. Among other celebrations, the Motherhouse of the Missionaries of Charity, which houses the saint’s tomb, was forced to…

Australian and English bishops discuss morality of vaccine

More bishops are pleading with their governments to give priority to ethically developed coronavirus vaccines, but many also are telling Catholics that not getting vaccinated is a more serious moral problem than using the problematic vaccines. Australia is among many governments trying to secure access to a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford…

Vatican Roundup

John Paul I Foundation names scientific committee The newly-formed Vatican John Paul I Foundation released a statement on Wednesday which states that on the 42nd anniversary of Pope John Paul I’s pontificate, they are pleased to communicate the members of the Foundation’s Scientific Committee. These persons were appointed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State…

In Brief

Argentine bishop warns priests to distribute Holy Communion in the hand The Bishop of San Rafael, Argentina, warned last week that he will impose canonical sanctions on priests who distribute Communion on the tongue during the coronavirus pandemic, in defiance of a diocesan directive permitting the distribution of Communion only in the hand. Bishop Eduardo…

Turkey turns second historic Istanbul church into mosque

A month after the former cathedral Hagia Sophia was converted from a museum into a mosque, another Istanbul church-museum, renowned for its exquisite Byzantine mosaics, will undergo the same transformation. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has ordered that the 700-year-old Chora Church – currently the Kariye Museum – be turned into a fully functioning mosque.…

Nuncio and bishops call on Nigeria to protect its citizens

Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi, Papal ambassador to Nigeria, has said the government was not doing enough to protect its citizens from violence, insurgents and other social vices. He also said the people being killed were not just Christians, but also Muslims. Speaking at a news conference as part of the finale of year-long celebrations of the…

Colombian bishops pray for peace following 13 murders

The Colombian Bishops’ Conference appealed for peace following two brutal massacres of young people last week in the country. In a statement, the bishops expressed their “deep grief and concern” over the killings. “We pray to God for the victims and we express our closeness and solidarity with their families, the inhabitants of the cities…