Although he said “I would never go to war” over the proper age to administer the sacrament of Confirmation, Archbishop Rino Fisichella has said too often it seems that the Sacrament is delayed to “blackmail” young people into continuing to come to church. The archbishop, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation, made…
An ongoing dialogue between Catholic and Muslim educators took a very concrete turn on June 25 when the United Arab Emirates sent a plane carrying 50 tons of humanitarian aid to a Peruvian city overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Vatican News, the plane carried masks, gloves, medical oxygen and food aid that will…
According to a recent report in Corriere della Sera, Italy’s paper of record, an Italian financier now based in London named Raffaele Mincione has filed two civil suits against the Vatican’s Secretariat of State before Britain’s High Court of Justice, both related to a now-infamous land deal in London’s Chelsea neighbourhood he brokered in 2013.…
Pope says world needs fewer complainers Some people always will want to destroy unity and stifle prophets, Pope Francis said on the feast of Sts Peter and Paul. And yet, Jesus challenges everyone to be – like Peter – a rock for building a renewed Church and renewed humanity, and – like Paul – a…
Archbishop says truth of saint’s ministry is in love of indigenous Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez has asked Catholics of the archdiocese to invoke the intercession of St Junipero Serra “for this nation that he helped to found”. “In this hour of trial in our nation, when once again we are confronting America’s shameful legacy…
In a reflection offered to BBC Rethink, a series asking how society can change for the better after the Covid-19 crisis, Pope Francis has warned the poor have “become part of the landscape”. The Pope [pictured] was speaking in Spanish with a voiceover provided by the BBC and was provided by the Vatican for the series,…
In one of the most anticipated cases of the term, the Supreme Court ruled against efforts by the Trump administration to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. In a 5-4 decision, the court said the Trump administration’s actions in rescinding the program were “arbitrary and capricious”. Last November, the court…
The US bishops are urging Catholics to “pray, reflect and take action” on religious liberty in the United States and abroad during Religious Freedom Week, which runs from June 22-29. The first day of the observance is the feast of Ss Thomas More and John Fisher, both martyred for their Catholic faith. The US Conference…
The increased screen time and isolation due to quarantine measures or restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic have put vulnerable minors at greater risk of grooming and abuse online, a Jesuit safeguarding expert said. Almost every nation that has had lockdowns or other restrictions has had similar consequences in which young people are spending a lot…
With anti-racism protests gripping the United States and other countries, young activists in Myanmar see it as the right time to challenge racism in the Buddhist-majority country. Launching a campaign called ‘Don’t call me ‘Kalar’’ on Facebook, the effort seeks to end the use of a term that historically referred to people from the Indian…