In the throes of a collapsing economy exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and devastation from the catastrophic Beirut port blast last August, Lebanon is sinking further into a dire situation. “Now we have the ‘new’ poor,” Carmelite Fr Michel Abboud, president of Caritas Lebanon said of the rapidly rising segment of the country’s population. “So…
‘I too kneel on Myanmar streets,’ says Pope As security forces in Myanmar have increased their crackdown on civilians, with disappearances, detentions and the killing of peaceful protesters, Pope Francis appealed for an end to violence and the start of dialogue. “Once again, and with much sorrow, I feel compelled to mention the tragic situation…
Teen killed in stabbing at Canadian Catholic school A 17-year-old girl is dead following a stabbing at a Catholic high school near Edmonton Monday March 15 morning. According to local officials, police were summoned to Christ the King Catholic School in Leduc, Alberta shortly before 10 am. They said the girl had been stabbed in…
Mary, the mother of God, has been present during the Covid-19 pandemic, and she was by the side of all those who died alone, Pope Francis said
Hamburg Archbishop Stefan Hesse has offered his resignation to Pope Francis in the wake of a report on the Cologne archdiocese’s handling of abuse cases. “In order to avert damage to the office of the archbishop as well as the Hamburg archdiocese, I am offering Pope Francis my resignation from office and am asking him…
Catholics and Protestants in Germany announced on Tuesday that they would press ahead with intercommunion at an event in May despite Vatican objections. In a March 16 press release, organisers of the third Ecumenical Church Congress (ÖKT) in Frankfurt said that they planned to invite Christians to attend celebrations “in many churches” in the city and across…
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act heading to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature will provide relief to Americans in need amid the pandemic, but it lacks “protections for the unborn”, the US bishops said. Their March 10 statement quickly followed US House passage of the measure in a 220-211 vote. Biden was…
Global hunger has reached an alarming level and could grow worse as the Covid-19 pandemic stretches on, said Catholic Relief Services last week. The organisation issued a new analysis identifying food crises in 14 countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. “In addition to the tremendous health and economic…
A religious sister in northern Burma knelt before police last Monday, begging them not to use violent force against protestors. In a video, Sr Ann Rose Nu Tawng, a member of the Sisters of St Francis Xavier, can be seen speaking March 8 to two kneeling police officers in the city of Myitkyina, the capital…
A religious sister and registered nurse who served those sick with Covid-19 in Italy has been honoured by the US State Department with the “Women of Courage” Award. Sr Alicia Vacas Moro is a Comboni Missionary Sister originally from Spain who has served the poor and the sick as a nurse in Egypt, the West…
Ruadhán Jones