A pro-life undergraduate student in a midwife program has received an apology and payout after she faced suspension. The Daily Telegraph reported November 24 that Julia Rynkiewicz, a  25-year-old Catholic, had reached a settlement with the University of Nottingham in the U.K. She was blocked from entering her program’s hospital placement phase after the university learned…

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said he will not “walk away” from leadership of the church amid pressure to resign over his handling of child abuse cases. Cardinal Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has faced calls from sexual abuse survivors, lawyers and the media to step down since an…

In 2020, the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal has lost scores of pilgrims and, with them, large amounts of revenue, amid coronavirus travel restrictions which have kept foreigners away. Pandemic Spokeswoman Carmo Rodeia told CNA November 18 that the low number of pilgrims has had “a profound impact on donations” to the…

The reconstruction of a church in Beirut severely damaged by the massive explosion that rocked the city this summer is a sign of hope to the area’s inhabitants, said a local priest. Fr Nicolas Riachy is pastor of the Church of the Saviour in Beirut, Lebanon. He told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)…

A Dominican sister was shot in the leg as her humanitarian relief team came under gunfire from paramilitaries in Mexico’s southern Chiapas state. Dominican Sister María Isabel Hernández Rea, 52, was struck in the leg November 18 while attempting to take food to a group of indigenous Tzotzil people displaced from a hamlet in the…

Two European Catholic commissions warned that Arctic warming is intensifying competition over the region’s resources and urged tougher policies to protect its biodiversity and indigenous communities. As exploration, mining, investment and military activities increase, predatory practices also can increase, said the Brussels-based Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, or COMECE, and Justice and…

Vatican bishop: Ethics committee will guide future investments A Vatican bishop has said that a committee of outside professionals is being created to help keep Holy See investments both ethical and profitable. Bishop Nunzio Galantino, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), said November 19 that statutes for a new…

Two churches in Washington state burn in apparent arson attacks Two church buildings – one Baptist, one Catholic – were damaged by fires in apparent arson attacks in Brewster, a town in central Washington. Sacred Heart Catholic Church suffered some fire damage near the sanctuary from an incendiary device dropped through a broken window early…

The Vatican is investigating usage of the papal Instagram account after Pope Francis’ official page liked a racy picture of a scantily-clad model. The picture ‘liked’ by Pope Francis’ verified account, Franciscus, features Brazilian model and Twitch streamer Natalia Garibotto wearing a lingerie outfit that resembles a school uniform. Garibotto’s mostly-uncovered posterior is visible in…