A Pakistan Catholic figure says the easing of coronavirus restrictions by the country’s leader is a “risky move”. Despite a record spike of new cases in a single day (1,523), Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan last week announced the lifting of the nationwide lockdown. Fr Saleh Diego, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Karachi, hopes…

Marie Le Tran Thuy Vi and her friends are living their Faith through preparing, cooking and packing food at Phu Trung Church to hand out to the poor of Ho Chi Minh City. Vi, 22, and her group with 10 youths hand out 150-175 servings within 45 minutes each night. Recipients include homeless people, lottery…

‘Respect 
dignity 
of 
farm 
workers’, 
says 
Pope Pope Francis has appealed for migrant farm workers, who pick crops with bad conditions and low pay, in Italy and worldwide to be respected and not exploited during the pandemic. The Holy Father made a fervent appeal for the respect of the dignity of workers who have called…

Uganda Martyrs Day postponed due to Covid-19 The Annual Martyrs Day celebrations in Uganda that were set for June 3 have been postponed due to the coronavirus. The decision to defer the celebrations was taken by the bishops at the request of the Catholic diocese of Masaka. “Even if the current lockdown is eased it…

Prayer is more than just a physical, emotional or intellectual act; it is an inner desire to encounter God, Pope Francis has said. Continuing his new series of talks on prayer during his weekly general audience today (May 13), the Pope said that the longing expressed through prayer “is more than a need, more than…

Religious leaders of different faiths and inter-religious organisations in the Indian state of Andra Pradesh have united and tightened a collaboration agreement to help contain the spread of Covid-19. In a joint declaration, the groups say they “want to play a constructive role for the common good by uniting people of all faiths”. Christian, Hindu,…

The Holy See says a Vatican judge has formally closed an investigation on missing Italian teenager, Emanuela Orlandi, which was opened last year. The investigation authorised the opening of two tombs in the cemetery of the Teutonic College, which sits on Vatican-owned property, at the request of the family of the girl who disappeared in…

The founding fathers of the Catholic Faith in Australia were honoured by the Sydney Archdiocese via live-stream Mass last weekend. The Mass took place on Sunday, May 3 at Saint Mary’s Cathedral and marked the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the country’s first sanctioned priests – Irish-born Fr John Joseph Therry and Fr Philip…

Priests in Mexico have been threatened with death by phone calls from alleged members of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG), according to local media reports. The diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas informed authorities last week that Fr Marcelo Perez, his family and members of the Parochial Council of San Antonio of Padua…

All public Church activities, including Marian pilgrimages, have been suspended in China until the end of May. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and its bishops’ forum, the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China, jointly announced the delay last week. This measure “aims to avoid gatherings as part of measures to check the…