Caritas volunteer helps in flood rescue mission A 52-year-old Caritas volunteer helped rescue more than two dozen families from a recent flood in Karachi, Pakistan. Francis Javed, a father of six who works as a cobbler, told ucanews.com that he received a phone call from Caritas Pakistan Karachi at 11am on July 30. They warned…
Two bills were announced in Wisconsin this week intended to protect victims of child sexual abuse. The Church in the state registered its strong objection to one bill’s intention to force violation of the seal of confession. The Child Victims Act would remove the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse, while the…
Pope Francis has criticised those who give more consideration to money than the Sacraments or helping others find true wealth – a relationship with Jesus Christ. “How many times do I think of this when I see some parishes where it is thought that money is more important than the Sacraments! Please! A poor Church:…
Pope Francis joined Catholic Church leaders expressing sorrow after back-to-back mass shootings in the US left at least 31 dead and dozens injured in Texas and Ohio last weekend. After the Angelus in St Peter’s Square on August 4, the Pope said he wanted to convey his spiritual closeness to the victims, the wounded and…
The president of the Polish bishops’ conference condemned attacks on clergy and places of worship in the traditionally Catholic country as the Church countered media accusations of inciting violence against LGBTQ groups. Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan said that “ever more frequent attacks of hatred against believing people and priests” were a growing concern for…
Catholics in a northern Philippines archdiocese marched in support of Church leaders accused of conspiring to overthrow President Rodrigo Duterte. About 3,000 Church workers, students and parishioners from the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan carried placards last week with messages expressing support for Archbishop Socrates Villegas and other accused Church leaders during a July 31 prayerful demonstration,…
New Jersey’s new law allowing assisted suicide, effective at the beginning of this month, “points to an “utter failure” on the part of government and indeed all society, said Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen. It is the failure “to care truly, authentically and humanely for the suffering and vulnerable in our midst especially those living…
A Catholic diocese in Congo has boosted measures to protect its congregations against Ebola, after the latest outbreak was declared an international emergency by the World Health Organisation. “The Goma Diocese is joining the general preoccupation with preventive precautions,” said a statement issued by Msgr Jacques Letakamba, diocesan chancellor. “Washing will now be obligatory for…
Abuse reports confirmed about famed Jesuit in Chile While deceased Jesuit Fr Renato Poblete Barth was known publicly as a champion of the poor in Chile, an internal investigation funded by the Jesuits revealed that the famed clergyman abused more than a dozen women over a span of nearly 50 years. The results of the…
Fire destroys ‘treasured’ historic church in Texas The Church of the Visitation in Westphalia, a nearly 125-year-old wooden church with bell towers on each side, burned to the ground last week. The fire, which began in the morning, is still under investigation. Parishioners ran into the burning church to save what they could, including its…