Christians recognise life’s great paradox that so much evil and temptation exist in the world, but that God is always present, too, ready to help and give people the strength to persevere, Pope Francis said. Each person has been given life, “dreams of love and the good”, but is then “continuously exposed to evil” aimed…
Category: World Report
Bishop Barron says book on abuse crisis written from his ‘pastor’s heart’
Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles said his new book addressing the church’s sexual abuse crisis and urging Catholics to “stay and fight for the body of Christ” comes from his “pastor’s heart”. “It is simply my statement coming out of my whole life as a Catholic – 33 years as a priest, almost…
Pope issues new norms on mandatory reporting and bishop accountability
Pope Francis has revised and clarified norms and procedures for holding bishops and religious superiors accountable in protecting minors as well as in protecting members of religious orders and seminarians from abuse. The new juridical instrument is meant to help bishops and religious leaders around the world clearly understand their duties and church law, underlining…
‘Glimmer of hope’ with Gaza ceasefire called
A ceasefire was called on this week after days of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, marking an end to a particularly violent weekend that saw approximately 30 people killed. Over the weekend, around 700 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip. While the majority of the rocket fire was intercepted by…
Video game to help in restoring damaged Notre-Dame cathedral
When Paris’ Cathedral of Notre-Dame caught fire, the world held its collective breath. The spire fell, and the wooden roof was reduced to ash, but the holy relics were saved, and the interior preserved from the worst ravages of fire. Now more than $1 billion (€960m) has been raised to restore Notre-Dame, and a video…
Australian Church to reform structures after abuse crisis
The Australian Catholic Church is continuing on its ground-breaking path toward a potential dramatic overhaul with the announcement that a panel of experts will thoroughly review the governance and management structures of Catholic dioceses and parishes. Such a review was a key recommendation of Australia’s landmark Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse,…
Bishop calls for aid for plight of suffering Somalis
The apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Mogadishu, Somalia, has called on the world to “pay attention to the plight of Somali people” as they face critical food shortages because of a crippling drought. Bishop Giorgio Bertin of Djibouti, who also serves Mogadishu, said Somalis living outside the country’s central and southern agricultural regions are…
Appeal made for Mozambique cyclone victims
Catholic Relief Services is appealing for additional aid after Cyclone Kenneth struck northern Mozambique late last month, the second such storm to hit the country in recent months. “Entire villages have been flattened. Roads have been washed out. And bridges have been destroyed,” Erica Dahl-Bredine, CRS’ country representative of Lesotho and Mozambique, said on April…
Vatican Roundup
Home visit isn’t on the cards for Francis, bishops reveal Pope Francis told a group of Argentine bishops on pilgrimage in Rome that although he wants to visit his homeland, current obligations impede him from fulfilling his wish, the bishops said. The Pope met with the first of two groups of bishops from Argentina’s coastal and northeastern regions on May 2 during the ad…
In Brief
Venezuelan guards launch tear-gas bombs in church While protests against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro raged across the country, National Guard forces loyal to the embattled head of state launched tear gas at churchgoers attending Mass at a local parish. In a letter published on May 2, Bishop Mario del Valle Moronta Rodriguez of San Cristobal…