Make Rome a city of fraternity and peace – Pope Pope Francis has urged residents of Rome to make the Eternal City a place of solidarity, peace and a “home for all”. The Pope made his plea at the opening ceremony for the 150th anniversary of the declaration of ‘Rome Capitale’, which was read out by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. The…
Two prominent US Catholics pass away A Catholic Sister who set a national standard for women’s education and a famous writer of courageous fictional Catholic protagonists have died in the US this past week. Sr Margaret Claydon (97) of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur passed away in Cincinnati, while Mary Higgins Clark –…
One of the four seminarians kidnapped from their seminary in Nigeria last month has reportedly been killed by his abductors. Michael Nnadi (18), the youngest member of the group, was separated from the others and murdered, with his body being formally identified at the weekend. “With a very heavy heart, I wish to inform you…
A new independent database listing nearly 6,000 priests accused of abuse was launched this week, marking what some observers say is a sign of a new era of transparency in the Church and others labelling it the “privatisation of justice” after years of Church leaders blocking such efforts. The database, which was activated last week,…
A clergyman has stressed that Christians must take an active role in the country’s future if they want a unified, multi-religious Iraq. Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil made the plea during a discussion of the country’s future with a US congressman. This follows months of protests against Iraqi government corruption and…
A French cardinal says he will ask Pope Francis to allow him to resign, despite an appeal court judgment overturning his suspended jail sentence for failing to report abuse. Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon was speaking after last week’s court ruling which quashed the prison term, imposed in March 2019 for failing to report accusations…
Fourty-two Christians accused of lynching two Muslim youths in the aftermath of the terror attack on two churches in Pakistan have been acquitted. The twin suicide bombings took place at Christ Church and St John’s Catholic Church in Lahore on March 15, 2015 which killed at least 14 and injured several others. After the attack,…
Uruguayan priest named the Pope’s new Personal Secretary Fr Gonzalo Aemilius has been elected as Pope Francis’ new Special Secretary, filling the void left by Father Fabian Pedacchio in December. The clergyman from Montevideo, Uruguay has been known to the Pope since 2006 when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, endorsed him for…
Top award for Catholic medic in Africa A Catholic medical missionary in Africa has been honored with a top international medical award. Dr Tom Catena (55) from New York received the AMH Gerson L’Chaim Prize for ‘outstanding Christian medical missionary service’ last week. The American Surgeon, described as “the world’s most important doctor” on US…
Pope Francis “has our backs” in the pro-life cause, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, said to applause in his homily at the opening Mass of the National Vigil for Life. During an ad limina meeting with US bishops the week before, Archbishop Naumann [pictured] said Pope Francis had told them: “If we do not…