An 83-year-old Chinese bishop has been installed as the third bishop to be recognised by the Communist regime since the Vatican-China 2018 agreement on the appointment of bishops. Bishop Peter Lin Jiashan was officially appointed as head of the Fuzhou Diocese in Fujian province last week. Since 1997, Bishop Lin had refused to register with…

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families Pope Francis has set up a fund aimed at helping families and individuals of Rome diocese who are in economic difficulty due to the Covid-19 crisis. In a letter to the Vicariate of Rome last week, the Holy Father says the Jesus the Divine Worker Fund will support…

Catholic charity to send Brazil aid Brazil is to receive emergency aid from a leading Catholic charity as the coronavirus crisis worsens in the country. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has announced 11 new projects in response to this, supporting the work of priests, religious and lay missionaries. In total, the projects will…

Bishops in Britain have insisted that a proposed new immigration bill will “drastically alter opportunities” for migrants to “build their lives and contribute to society”. In a joint statement sent to opposition party leaders at Westminster, bishops from Scotland and England and Wales encouraged the British government to consider amendments to the Immigration Bill currently…

Catholics in China are concerned about a directive from the country’s Communist government asking priests to “preach on patriotism” as a condition for reopening liturgical services. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the Chinese Catholic educational administration committee of Zhejiang province jointly issued a notice on the resumption of activities. “Religious places that meet…

A Church leader in Hong Kong has urged people to continue resisting Communist repression from China after thousands defied the city administration’s ban on remembering the Tiananmen Square victims. Some churches in the region marked the June 4 anniversary with Masses and prayers in memory of the young people who were crushed in the 1989…

The Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady in Walsingham, England has experienced the “biggest pilgrimage season” in its history, according to the shrine’s rector. The shrine, established by the noblewoman Richeldis de Faverches after she experienced a series of Marian apparitions in 1061, was forced to close and cancel pilgrimages due to the Covid-19 pandemic.…

The archdioceses of Jakarta and Samarinda have reopened their churches after local authorities began to ease social restrictions imposed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. “Religious activities may resume starting,” said Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan in a live-streamed press conference last week. “All churches can be reopened but only for regular activities…all places of worship must…

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reopens The Vatican’s Santa Marta Paediatric Dispensary has reopened after being forced to shut down for more than two and a half months due to the Covid-19 crisis. Despite the pandemic still being present at large, the Dispensary in the heart of the Vatican re-started its services for needy children…

Indian priest and director to release new film A priest and film director in India is to release a new film of someone living with HIV and their family. Michael’s Coffee House, by Fr Anil Philip, will soon be released in Indian cinemas. Fr Philip, a member of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate (CMI), based…