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…

Argentine President Alberto Fernández sent a bill to Congress to decriminalise abortion, despite Catholic objections. In anticipation of the abortion bill being proposed, Argentina’s bishops blasted the president’s plans for decriminalisation as “untenable and inappropriate” – both on ethical grounds and the timing during a pandemic. President Fernández presented the bill November 17 and said…

Government restrictions on religion are at their highest since tracking began in 2007, the Pew Research Center has said in its new report, finding that 56 countries reached “high” or “very high” levels of restrictions on religion in 2018. “In 2018, the global median level of government restrictions on religion – that is, laws, policies…