Pope Francis calls for solidarity at first audience with pilgrims after lockdown In his first Wednesday audience with pilgrims since Italy’s lockdown, Pope Francis has called for solidarity to reawaken unity and bring God’s love to a suffering world. “In the midst of crises and storms, the Lord challenges us and invites us to reawaken…
Shrine in memory of aborted children dedicated in Mexico The Mexican pro-life association Los Inocentes de María (Mary’s Innocent Ones) has dedicated a shrine in Guadalajara last month in memory of aborted children. The shrine, called Rachel’s Grotto, also serves as a place for reconciliation between parents and their deceased babies. In an August 15…
Internet star Bishop Robert Barron this week delivered a homily in support of St Junipero Serra, an 18th-Century Franciscan missionary whose legacy has drawn renewed scrutiny in recent months from some who consider him a symbol of an oppressive colonial system. “We are gathered here today in defence of the statue,” Bishop Barron said in…
Scotland has reported its second-highest annual abortion figure on record. Public Health Scotland announced on August 25 that 13,583 abortions were performed in 2019, with a termination rate of 13.2 per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 44. Last year’s figure is the highest since 2008 and represents an increase of 297 from 2018 when…
The Missionaries of Charity cancelled their customary birthday celebrations for their founder, Mother Teresa, this year after nine religious sisters tested positive for Covid-19. Wednesday marked the 110th birthday of Saint Mother Teresa, who died in 1997. Among other celebrations, the Motherhouse of the Missionaries of Charity, which houses the saint’s tomb, was forced to…
More bishops are pleading with their governments to give priority to ethically developed coronavirus vaccines, but many also are telling Catholics that not getting vaccinated is a more serious moral problem than using the problematic vaccines. Australia is among many governments trying to secure access to a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford…
John Paul I Foundation names scientific committee The newly-formed Vatican John Paul I Foundation released a statement on Wednesday which states that on the 42nd anniversary of Pope John Paul I’s pontificate, they are pleased to communicate the members of the Foundation’s Scientific Committee. These persons were appointed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State…
Argentine bishop warns priests to distribute Holy Communion in the hand The Bishop of San Rafael, Argentina, warned last week that he will impose canonical sanctions on priests who distribute Communion on the tongue during the coronavirus pandemic, in defiance of a diocesan directive permitting the distribution of Communion only in the hand. Bishop Eduardo…
A month after the former cathedral Hagia Sophia was converted from a museum into a mosque, another Istanbul church-museum, renowned for its exquisite Byzantine mosaics, will undergo the same transformation. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has ordered that the 700-year-old Chora Church – currently the Kariye Museum – be turned into a fully functioning mosque.…
Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi, Papal ambassador to Nigeria, has said the government was not doing enough to protect its citizens from violence, insurgents and other social vices. He also said the people being killed were not just Christians, but also Muslims. Speaking at a news conference as part of the finale of year-long celebrations of the…