The High Court in London rejected a landmark challenge to a UK law allowing abortion up to birth for disability. In its September 23 ruling, the court declared that a law allowing abortion up to birth for disability was not discriminatory. The challenge was brought by Heidi Crowter, a woman with Down syndrome, and Máire…
Spanish Church leaders are urging prayers and donations for residents of the Canary Islands, after earthquakes and a volcanic eruption devastated parts of the Atlantic island chain. “We welcome the public administration’s speed in ensuring the safety of all those affected and caring for those with greatest vulnerability,” said a September 22 statement from the…
Catholic lay organisations took to the streets of downtown Fulda under the motto “We remain loud” to express their dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church, on the final day of the German bishops’ annual fall plenary assembly. On September 23, Catholics demonstrated in front of the 18th-century palace where the bishops met and marched to demand…
Catholic leaders from Eastern Europe pledged closer cooperation against sexual abuse by clergy, despite different levels of preparedness, at the region’s first international child protection conference. A statement from the September 19-22 conference said lectures and group sessions had covered “spiritual, theological, legal and pastoral aspects of the crisis”, adding that key themes would be…
The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021, introduced in the US Senate and House June 8 and currently moving through various committees in both chambers, “is nothing short of child sacrifice”, said Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco. The “misnamed” measure, he said, “shows to what radical extremes the supposedly ‘pro-choice’ advocates in our country…
Vatican requires vaccine pass for visitors and employees The Vatican will require all visitors and personnel to show a Covid-19 pass proving they have been vaccinated, have recovered from the coronavirus, or have tested negative for the disease in order to enter the city state beginning October 1. To enter Vatican territory, tourists and other…
St Januarius’ blood liquefies for the second time in 2021 The blood of St Januarius, patron of the Italian city of Naples, liquefied for the second time this year. The miraculous event took place in the city’s Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary during morning Mass on September 19, the saint’s feast day. Before the…
The debate about denying Communion to politicians who support abortion must be handled in a pastoral way, not by public condemnations that seek to “excommunicate” Catholics who are not in line with Church teaching, Pope Francis said. During his return flight from Bratislava, Slovakia, September 15, the Pope said that while there is no question…
A court in Finland has announced the date of a hearing to determine whether a former government minister should be jailed after tweeting a Bible verse. The Helsinki District Court said that the case involving Päivi Räsänen, a physician and mother of five, will be heard on January 24, 2022. According to ADF International, a…
A Nigerian Catholic priest kidnapped at his parish residence September 13 has been freed. The priest’s liberation was announced on September 15 by Fr Emmanuel Uchechukwu, chancellor of Kafanchan diocese, in northern Nigeria, reported ACI Africa. “With hearts filled with joy, we raise our voices in a symphony of praises as we announce the return of our…