Catholic Relief Services is appealing for additional aid after Cyclone Kenneth struck northern Mozambique late last month, the second such storm to hit the country in recent months. “Entire villages have been flattened. Roads have been washed out. And bridges have been destroyed,” Erica Dahl-Bredine, CRS’ country representative of Lesotho and Mozambique, said on April…
Category: World Report
Vatican Roundup
Home visit isn’t on the cards for Francis, bishops reveal Pope Francis told a group of Argentine bishops on pilgrimage in Rome that although he wants to visit his homeland, current obligations impede him from fulfilling his wish, the bishops said. The Pope met with the first of two groups of bishops from Argentina’s coastal and northeastern regions on May 2 during the ad…
In Brief
Venezuelan guards launch tear-gas bombs in church While protests against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro raged across the country, National Guard forces loyal to the embattled head of state launched tear gas at churchgoers attending Mass at a local parish. In a letter published on May 2, Bishop Mario del Valle Moronta Rodriguez of San Cristobal…
US governor signs heartbeat bill restricting state abortions
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation this week to ban abortions in Georgia once a foetal heartbeat is detected, which is around six weeks. The bill’s signing comes after weeks of protests and amid outcry for legal action against it. “We will not back down. We will always continue to fight for life,” the governor…
Nations stirring up nationalism betray their mission – Pope
Migrants are not a threat to a nation’s cultures, traditions and value, Pope Francis has said. Every nation is a product of immigration and the integration of diverse peoples, united by specific values, cultures and “healthy traditions”, he said. That is why any nation that “stirs up nationalistic sentiments in its people against other nations…
Chilean bishop denies Easter Eucharist to Faithful kneeling
Though far away from the centre of the action in Rome, Bishop Celestino Aos, the temporary head of the embattled Archdiocese of Santiago, Chile, has a tough job. He’s replacing a cardinal being investigated for cover-up of clerical sexual abuse, whose predecessor is also being questioned by local prosecutors. During the Easter season, Bishop Aos…
Sri Lankan Easter bombings linked to ISIS, Australian PM confirms
Australia’s prime minister has said that the Sri Lankan militant group blamed for the Easter bombings that killed at least 250 people had support from the Islamic State group, a day after Sri Lankan officials said they were still evaluating foreign ties. Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters last Friday that he could confirm links…
US archdiocese releases more names of credibly accused abuse priests
The Archdiocese of Baltimore has published an additional 23 names of priests who had been accused of child sexual abuse after they were deceased. All of the allegations have been previously reported to law enforcement, in most cases more than a decade ago. Released on April 24, the 23 additional names join 103 other clergy…
Faith reminds us to trust God in face of worries, priest says
While recent policy changes in the US have left the people of Cuba facing increasing uncertainty, the message of the Catholic Church is always that security is ultimately found in Christ, said a priest from the island nation. “This is the task of the Church: to say that salvation is found only is Jesus, who…
Sack Sri Lankan officials for failing to forward terrorist tips – cardinal
The Archbishop of Colombo says that government officials in Sri Lanka should be fired for failing to act on tips that terrorist attacks were imminent in the hours preceding Easter Sunday bombings in the country. “It’s absolutely unacceptable behaviour on the part of these high officials of the government, including some of the ministry officials,”…









