Sponsor a gargoyle: Fundraiser launched for Notre Dame A novel fundraising approach to restore one of the most iconic monuments in the world, the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, enables donors to have a piece of history. On April 15, Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris unveiled an interactive website – restorenotredame.org – that allows…
Category: World Report
Prayer is more than mental exercise or meditation, Pope says
Prayer is more than just a mental exercise or form of meditation, said Pope Francis at his weekly general audience, as he reflected on the importance of speaking the words of prayers out loud
Vatican statistics show continued growth in number of Catholics worldwide
The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world has shown steady growth, while the number of religious men and women continued to decrease, according to Vatican statistics. At the end of 2019, the worldwide Catholic population exceeded 1.34 billion, which continued to be about 17.7% of the world’s population, said an article published…
Martyrs’ bones identified almost 150 years after discovery in an attic
Two skulls and a cluster of other bones discovered in the attic of a house in the Welsh town of Holywell have been identified as Welsh priests and martyrs Philip Evans and John Lloyd. The bones were discovered in 1858, but it wasn’t until recently they were identified, by Jan Graffius, curator of the Stonyhurst…
Church in France opposes bill to legalise euthanasia
As parliamentarians debated last Thursday a bill to legalise euthanasia, French bishops spoke out against the proposal. A bill to institute a right to “a free and chosen end of life” was debated in the National Assembly, the lower house of France’s parliament, April 8. “The solution when a person faces suffering is not to…
Catholic agencies step in once again to help minors at Mexico-US border
As the United States took in almost 19,000 migrant children, labelled “unaccompanied minors”, in March, faith-based organisations such as Catholic Charities throughout the country have been doing their part to help. In Texas, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Antonio set up over 2,000 cots for their guests at the Freeman Coliseum to “welcome…
Vatican Roundup
‘Profound evil’ of abuse must be eradicated, Pope Francis tells symposium As religious leaders, scholars, experts and abuse survivors come together online to participate in an international symposium on faith, healing and prevention, Pope Francis sent a message as part of opening remarks for the event. Pope Francis hopes that by bringing together people from…
In Brief
Canonical proceedings against French parish over mask-less Masses The archbishop of Paris announced canonical proceedings last Wednesday against a parish priest for reportedly refusing to follow coronavirus health measures at the Easter Vigil. A statement from the Archdiocese of Paris on April 7 said that the pastor of Sainte-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile church in Paris’ ninth arrondissement did…
Pope Francis to offer Divine Mercy Sunday Mass in church with St Faustina’s relics
On Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis will offer Mass in a church containing the relics of both St Faustina Kowalska and St John Paul II. This will be the second year that the Pope has chosen to offer Mass in the church, Santo Spirito in Sassia, which was transformed into a center for Divine Mercy…
Mozambique massacre should prompt response – Catholic group
While a recent massacre in Mozambique has drawn headlines internationally, the country has been dealing with violence for years, which has largely gone unacknowledged in the international community, said leaders of a Catholic charity and peace organisation present in the country. Johan Viljoen, director of Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), which is an entity of…


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