Fr Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood today making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint. Pope Francis recognised the heroic virtue of Fr Tolton on June 12 making him “venerable” within the Church, only two steps away from canonisation. With the decree, Catholics are now authorised…
An essential characteristic of Christian community is its unity in diversity, and the freedom this gives to Christians to come alive as witnesses of Christ, Pope Francis said today. The selection of Matthias to take Judas’ place among the Twelve Apostles, as told at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, is the “reunification…
Pope Francis praised Allied troops who took part in critical D-Day landings in France 75 years ago, while also remembering German soldiers who died fighting under Nazi orders. “We know the landings on June 6, 1944, here in Normandy were decisive in the struggle against Nazi barbarism, allowing a path to open towards ending a…
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have banned the National Institutes of Health from using human foetal stem cells from electively aborted babies for government funded research. The department also issued a $20 million (€17.6 million) grant for research to develop models that do not rely on human foetal tissue yesterday. HHS…
Cardinal George Pell was taken back to prison at the end of a two-day hearing on his appeal of his conviction on five counts of child sexual abuse. A three-judge panel from the Appeals Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria said it would announce its judgment at a later date yesterday (June 6), giving…
Police in Vietnam have been accused of abducting a Catholic advocate for social and charitable activities. Nguyen Thi Tinh said her husband Nguyen Nang Tinh, 43, was seized and pushed into a truck by police officers while he and their two sons were on their way to breakfast on May 29, ucanews.com reported. The official…
Catholic bishops of East Africa have introduced a handbook to help Church leaders develop standards to safeguard the safety of children. Child Safeguarding – Standards and Guidelines: A Catholic Guide for Policy Development was introduced in the Kenyan capital by the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa, known as AMECEA. The release followed…
Philippine authorities are trying to win the hearts and minds of people amid allegations that police officers have been behind many of the thousands of drug-related killings that have stained the country’s image in recent years, ucanews.com reported. At a police camp in the central Philippines, police hosted a traditional ‘Flores de Mayo, (‘Flowers of…
American society needs to examine why mass shootings and other violent incidents occur, the chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development has said following the murder of 12 people in Virginia. “This shooting reminds us yet again that something is fundamentally broken in our society and culture when ordinary workplaces…
Pope Francis has said that he continues to visit retired Pope Benedict XVI, 92, who is like a grandfather who continues to encourage him and give him strength. “I take his hand and let him speak. He speaks little, at his own pace, but with the same profoundness as always. Benedict’s problem are his knees,…