While fewer than half of American adults responding to a recent poll said they are members of a Church, synagogue or mosque, the findings do not necessarily mean that people have lost faith in God, a pair of Church observers said. Church membership in 2020 dropped to 47% of the more than 6,100 respondents to…

Indonesia’s Catholic bishops have strongly condemned the Palm Sunday suicide bombing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral on the island of Sulawesi which injured at least 19 people. The two attackers, who both died in the bombing, were believed to have been a part of the local Islamic State affiliated group, Jamaah Ansharut Daulah…

Christians celebrated Easter at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre this year after the storied church remained closed last Easter due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over Palm Sunday Mass on March 28 at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with a small group in the church and…

Pope signals further reforms to tackle financial crime Signalling further reforms of the Vatican City State penal code, particularly when it comes to financial crimes, Pope Francis said the laws must reflect “the equality of all members of the church” by doing away with “privileges that go back in time and are no longer in…

Iraqi cardinal: Pope Francis gave $350,000 for poor during Iraq trip During his recent visit to Iraq, Pope Francis gave a donation of $350,000 to the Chaldean Catholic Church to support local families affected by conflict and the pandemic. Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako told Agenzia Fides that the Pope’s gift was “intended to be a sign of…

Christians are never alone in prayer but instead are accompanied by myriad saints who protect them and seek God’s intercession, Pope Francis said. Whenever men or women open their hearts to God, they will always be in the “company of anonymous and recognised saints who pray with us and who intercede for us as older…

One month after Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq, Cardinal Louis Sako, the Baghdad-based Chaldean Catholic patriarch, called for the development of school programmes to educate Iraqis about the value of diversity in their country, but he also asked for enforcement of laws protecting the religious sites of all faiths. In a message posted on the…

Scotland’s supreme civil court ruled last Wednesday that the Scottish government’s blanket ban on public worship is unlawful. Judge Lord Braid overturned the ban on March 24 in response to a challenge by 27 faith leaders, alongside Glasgow Catholic priest Canon Tom White. Judge Braid had heard their challenge on March 11-12 at the Court…

Christoph Cardinal Schönborn has declared he was “not happy with the explanation of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith”, since the message reported by the dicastery was “only a no”, and declared he would, under certain circumstances, bless same-sex unions. The CDF said March 15 that the Church hasn’t the power to bless…