New document studies correlation between Faith and sacraments A new document produced by the International Theological Commission (ITC) which studies the relationship between Catholicism and the sacraments has been issued last week. The document, titled ‘The Reciprocity between Faith and Sacraments in the Sacramental Economy’, examines a deeper understanding of the sacramental nature of Faith…
Germany and Spain have both elected new chairmen to head their respective bishops’ conference in the past week. Bishop Georg Batzing of Limburg succeeds Cardinal Reinhard Marx in Germany as conference chairman, while Spanish bishops have put their trust in Cardinal Juan José Omella of Barcelona to lead them. Baetzing, 58, is an advocate of…
A Bishop in South Africa has claimed the worship of God is weak today because it has to compete with the modern consumer culture of “buying and selling”. Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha said consumption leaves us “empty” and that the coverage of sport has “dethroned God” during a speech in Eastern Cape last week.…
A prominent Pakistani Christian political leader has written a letter to Punjab authorities seeking permission to construct a church and baptism pool for minority inmates in Lahore central prison. In his letter, Massiha Millat Party chairman Aslam Pervaiz Sahotra asked the minority affairs minister to give his attention to the number of non-Muslim prisoners at…
A Pakistani Catholic who was on death row for eight years and tortured after she was falsely accused of blasphemy before being released last year has said she’s “forgiven everyone”. Ms Bibi’s case was followed closely by charities who fight against Christian persecution around the world, who have consistently condemned Pakistan’s severe blasphemy laws. Regarding…
Renewal is a continuous journey requiring humility, patience and prayer to discern God’s will, Pope Francis told members of Regnum Christi and the Legionaries of Christ. The communities’ “journey of renewal is not over because a change in mentality in individuals and in an institution requires a lot of time for assimilation and, therefore, continuous…
A Catholic delegation has hit out at being stopped at an airport in Eritrea and forced to return to Ethiopia. “We condemn the gesture” said the Catholic Secretariat of Ethiopia on February 28, who claimed they were “illegally detained without reason”. “We also express our solidarity with the Catholic Church in Eritrea, which lives in…
The President of Argentina has said he will send a bill to legalise abortion to Congress within the next week. Alberto Fernandez, who was sworn in as the country’s president in December, has previously described abortion as “a matter of public health”. At present, abortion in Argentina is only allowed in cases of rape or…
Put down phone, pick up Bible – Pope’s Lent advice Pope Francis has told Catholics to use the season of Lent to spend less time watching television or being on their phones, and to spend more time reading the Bible. The Pope reflected on the “desert” of Lent during his weekly general audience and how…
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Edward Grosz, auxiliary bishop of Buffalo, who has been accused of mishandling a sex abuse allegation. Grosz, who turned 75 on February 16, offered his resignation at the age required by canon law. The Vatican’s announcement on March 2 accepting Grosz’s resignation did not indicate whether it…
Chai Brady