Junno Arocho Esteves Pope Francis said his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, while brief, was a new page in relations between Christians and Muslims at a time when conflict and violence threaten the goal of lasting peace. Recalling his February 3-5 visit to Abu Dhabi, the Pope said during his weekly general…
Pope Francis has said he is opposed to the idea of optional priestly celibacy in the Latin rite, and he would consider it only for very remote places if a serious need existed. “Personally, I think that celibacy is a gift to the Church,” the Pope said on Monday. “I would say that I do…
Church leaders have condemned bomb explosions that killed at least 20 people and injured about 100 others inside a Catholic church in the southern Philippines on January 27. They called the attack a “heinous and evil” act of terrorism. Allegedly, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which occurred during Mass at the…
Since the work of child protection must continue after the February meeting at the Vatican on safeguarding, one organiser has said they plan on creating a “task force” with teams on every continent. The task force would be just one of a number of “concrete measures that we want to offer the bishops of the…
Those who stand up for the dignity of life in all its stages and want to see this respect for all life enshrined once again in US law have a friend in the Pence family and the Trump administration, Vice President Mike Pence told the March for Life crowd on the National Mall on January…
Albany’s Catholic bishop has called on New York Governer Andrew Cuomo to stop the ‘Death Star’ as he called a bill in the state legislature to expand current state law on abortion that has the full backing of Cuomo, a Catholic. “Although in your recent State of the State address you cited your Catholic faith…
The man who made a 2004 accusation of misconduct against Archbishop Theodore McCarrick has said he is in disbelief after Cardinal Donald Wuerl told him he forgot about the allegation sometime after becoming Washington’s archbishop in 2006. Wuerl wrote to Washington, DC priests that “when I was asked if I had any previous knowledge of…
A government spokesman said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is open to dialogue with the country’s bishops, after the president recently suggested that citizens of the country kill the Church leaders. Tensions have increased between Duterte and the bishops as Church leaders have continued to condemn the president’s brutal war on drugs. Since Duterte’s rise to…
After reports of multiple deaths in violent protests over steep fuel price hikes in Zimbabwe, Archbishop Robert Ndlovu of Harare has called for restraint by the security forces and protesters. “Mature political leadership and a recognition of the need to work together for the common good” are essential, he said. Three people, including a police…
February summit to help nations slow to move on abuse policies Only about half of the national bishops’ conferences in the world have adopted complete, Vatican-approved guidelines for handling accusations of clerical sexual abuse and promoting child protection, said the Jesuit named to moderate the Vatican’s February summit on abuse. Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi said about one-quarter of the bishops’ conferences have received feedback on…