Pope to lay associations: Be aware of the apostolic power you have Pope Francis opened his discourse to moderators of associations of the Faithful, ecclesial movements and new communities, gathered for a meeting organised by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, by thanking all those present for being there. “And thank you…
New Belarusian archbishop welcomed amid ongoing repression Catholic leaders in Belarus welcomed a new head for its archdiocese after a nine-month interregnum, although some activists warned the new archbishop could be constrained in opposing repression in the former Soviet republic. Pope Francis named Auxiliary Bishop Iosif Staneuski, 52, of Grodno as archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev September…
Pope Francis has not devalued the Torah and does not question the fact that the Torah is crucial for modern Judaism, Cardinal Kurt Koch told two prominent Jewish leaders. “Pope Francis fully respects the foundations of Judaism and always seeks to deepen the bonds of friendship between the two faith traditions,” wrote the cardinal, who…
The Biden administration September 9 sued Texas over its new law prohibiting most abortions after the detection of a foetal heartbeat. In a complaint filed in a federal district court in West Texas, the Justice Department said the state acted “in open defiance of the Constitution” in restricting “most pre-viability abortions.” “The Act is clearly…
The bishops’ conference of Belarus accused state media of stoking anti-Catholic feeling, after an official newspaper equated priests with Nazis in a front-page cartoon. “This publication inflicts moral damage on Christians of all denominations – it deliberately, maliciously distorts the truth,” the conference said September 7. “A caricature in which the cross turns into a…
A new bishop of Wuhan, China, was ordained September 8 under the terms of the Vatican-China agreement, a Vatican spokesman has confirmed. Bishop Francis Cui Qingqi, 57, is the sixth bishop to be consecrated in China since the Holy See signed a provisional agreement with the Chinese government in September 2018. According to Vatican spokesman…
A Catholic bishops’ commission said that it is a “pity” that the “key position” of EU religious freedom envoy is now vacant. The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) congratulated the outgoing envoy Christos Stylianides September 8 on his next role as head of Greece’s new climate crisis ministry. But the…
The president of the Spanish bishops’ conference has appealed for a former Catalan bishop to have his privacy respected, following media reports he moved in with an erotic fiction writer two weeks after resigning his see. “I share the pain of his family and the Church of Solsona, which has been touched by this, along…
Pope: You can’t be missionaries if you stop adoring the Lord Addressing Claretians, who are in Rome for their General Chapter, Pope Francis noted that the theme of their meeting – “Rooted and Bold” – “presupposes a life of prayer and contemplation that allows you to contemplate the mirror, which is Christ, so that you…
UK bishops criticise upcoming arms fair A major arms fair in London has drawn fire from Catholic bishops and justice and peace groups who say the trade in weaponry fuels conflict around the world. In a joint statement, they criticized the DSEI arms fair, which will bring together more than 1,600 companies that develop, manufacture…