Italian cardinal and diplomat dies age 95 Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, former prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches and a long-time Vatican diplomat, died at his home in the Vatican on August 29 at the age of 95. Cardinal Silvestrini served in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See in Rome and abroad for nearly…
Two bishops ordained in China after agreement The ordination of Bishop Anthony Yao Shun of Jining in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region was the first episcopal ordination in the country following the provisional agreement signed in 2018 between China and the Vatican. The ordination was “the first to take place in the framework of the…
It is understood that Cardinal George Pell will appeal his conviction to the Australian High Court, following the decision earlier this month by the Court of Appeal in Victoria to uphold his conviction for child sexual abuse. It has been reported that the Australian prelate would be exercising his final appeal and that, while the…
Thousands of pro-life supporters demonstrated in the streets of Sydney, expressing their opposition to a bill in the New South Wales state parliament that would permit abortion until birth for any reason. The demonstration called on members of parliament (MPs) to defeat the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill that was introduced on August 1. The…
A hospital boat named the ‘Pope Francis’ set sail last week in the Amazon River to bring medical care to rural populations. “Just as Jesus, who appeared walking on water, calmed the storm and strengthened the faith of the disciples, this boat will bring spiritual comfort and calm to the worries of needy men and…
The grisly murders of missionary priests and a local priest, a lay volunteer and 40 seminarians in Burundi are the focus of a recently opened investigation into their sainthood cause. Catholic bishops in this central African nation welcomed the step petitioned to the Vatican by the Xaverian Missionaries, founded in 1898 by St Guido Conforti…
As neighbouring countries try to mediate an ongoing trade war between Japan and South Korea, one bishop has stepped into the ring urging both sides to “rational dialogue” in solving their problems without further escalation. Bishop Taiji Katsuya of Sapporo, president of the Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace, issued a statement earlier this…
Indian police arrested six suspected members of a hard-line Hindu group for attacking 40 Catholics taking part in a 280-mile pilgrimage to a Marian shrine in Velankanni in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The attackers were accused of blocking the pilgrims on a public road last week and beating and verbally abusing them, a…
Catholic university steps up on abuse prevention – Pontiff A specialised centre at Chile’s premier Catholic university can help the Church protect minors and vulnerable persons from the scourge of clerical sexual abuse, which has plagued the Church in the country and around the world, Pope Francis has said. In a video message played on August 15 during the inaugural ceremony of the…
Devil is a symbol, not a person – Church official The superior general of the Society of Jesus has said that the Devil is a symbolic reality, not a person. The Devil, “exists as the personification of evil in different structures, but not in persons…he is not a person like a human person. It is…