More than half of the global population lives in a country in which state or non-state actors actively persecute people for their religious beliefs, according to the 2023 Religious Freedom in the World report. Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic charity, published the report, which put 28 countries in the “red” category for…
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he will speak with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega about releasing a jailed Nicaraguan bishop currently serving a 26-year prison sentence. Speaking to reporters in Rome June 22, a day after meeting with Pope Francis, the Brazilian president, commonly referred to as Lula, said there is “no reason…
Earlier this month the story of a 24-year-old French man named Henri, who is being called the “backpack hero,” went viral for stopping a knife attack at a playground in southeastern France by chasing the attacker with a backpack. Henri was in the town of Annecy during a pilgrimage visiting France’s cathedrals when he witnessed the attack.…
An English Catholic bishop put people at risk by promoting a priest with a history of grooming children as his cathedral dean and by cultivating an “inappropriate” friendship with a convicted paedophile, a report has said. The 57-page report by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, the Catholic child protection agency of the Catholic Church in…
400-year-old church emerges from the waters in Mexico Due to an intense heat wave and drought that has spread throughout various parts of Mexico, a more than 400-year-old Catholic church has completely emerged from the waters in the state of Chiapas. The church of the disappeared town of San Juan Quechula, dedicated to the apostle…
Pope Francis and Brazil’s President Lula embrace during visit Pope Francis said a meeting with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Vatican June 21 took place in an atmosphere of “great sympathy and friendship,” the Vatican said. The two can be seen embracing in photos shared by the Brazilian president’s photographer. Pope…
Ugandans woke up June 17 to the shock of a school massacre in which at least 39 students and two community members were killed. Just before midnight local time June 16, rebels suspected to be members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) swooped into the Lhubiriha Secondary School in the town of Mpondwe, near the…
The priest and artist Fr Marko Rupnik, accused of the physical and psychological abuse of numerous religious sisters, was dismissed from the Jesuits this month, according to the religious order. The Society of Jesus said in a June 15 statement Fr Rupnik was expelled due to his “stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience”. Fr Rupnik…
Calling on Catholics to pray for the victims of a stabbing at a local playground, French Bishop Yves Le Saux of Annecy said the horrific attack was an indication of growing societal violence. “This tragedy raises questions about the violence that runs through our society, and commits us to work even harder together to fight…
Charges and countercharges of illegal activity have further escalated a bitter public dispute between the Diocese of Fort Worth and a monastery of Carmelite nuns in Arlington, Texas. The latest salvo in what has become a protracted legal and public relations battle was launched by the diocese on June 7 when it released a pair…
