San Francisco’s archbishop plans to conduct an exorcism on October 17 at the site of a now-toppled statue of St Junipero Serra at St Rafael Mission Church in San Rafael. Just the saint’s feet are left after the statue on church property was vandalised and desecrated on October 12 by what Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone described…
The Catholic Church in Switzerland has backed legislation that would penalise companies that damage the environment or abuse human rights. “This initiative focuses on human rights violations, whose primary victims are the poorest and most vulnerable,” the Church said in a joint appeal with protestant leaders. “It makes an urgent appeal, to both our government…
The government of the Netherlands has announced it will allow the euthanisation of terminally ill children between the ages of one and 12. “There is a need for active termination of life among doctors and parents of incurably ill children, who are suffering hopelessly and unbearably and will die within the foreseeable future,” Health Minister…
Pope picks Bishop Semeraro to lead sainthood congregation Pope Francis has named Italian Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano, secretary of his Council of Cardinals, to be the new prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. The bishop, 72, succeeds Cardinal Angelo Becciu, whom the Pope forced to resign in late September because of suspicious financial…
Vatican criminal trial begins against priests accused in abuse case Fr Gabriele Martinelli, 28, has heard a Vatican criminal court accuse him of repeatedly sexually abusing a younger student at a minor seminary inside the Vatican. Msgr Enrico Radice, 71, former rector of the seminary, heard the court accuse him of obstructing the investigation by…
Former Vatican finance czar Cardinal George Pell met with Pope Francis in a private audience at the Vatican Monday. The Holy See press office said that the audience took place October 12, but gave no further details. A video of the meeting showed the Pope shaking the cardinal’s hand, while saying: “It is a pleasure to…
As Armenia and Azerbaijan continued their battles and bombardments in early October, an Armenian archbishop pleaded for the intervention of the European Union to halt the conflict before it grew into a regional war. “We don’t want advice about a cease-fire, but real concrete steps so that the aggression stops definitively,” Armenian Catholic Archbishop Raphael…
The Diocese of Brooklyn filed a lawsuit in federal court on October 8 against the state of New York, charging that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s new orders reducing church capacity violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of the free exercise of religion. “The executive orders this week have left us with no other option than to go…
An Italian Catholic priest was freed on October 8, two years after he was kidnapped by a jihadist group. The office of the president of Mali announced the liberation of Fr Pierluigi Maccalli, a member of the Society of African Missions. He was one of four hostages released this week by fighters believed to be…
Hindu groups in India are planning to launch a nationwide campaign to curb religious conversion, which they claim is a form of violence and a crime. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) say religious conversion is rampant in tribal-dominated areas and they plan to bring those converted back to the…