Vatican
 news paper
 publishes
 articles
 on
 women
 equality Too often in the Catholic Church, “the sacrifices of women are used only to reinforce the power of those who already have it,” the editor of the Vatican newspaper’s monthly section on women in the Church has written. In the ‘Woman-Church-World’ supplement to L’Osservatore Romano published last week, editor Lucetta Scaraffia wrote: “A…

A British parliamentary report has criticised the Indian government for failing to protect religious minorities from violent Hindu hardliners. A report by the British All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief said the rise of nationalist ‘Hindutva’ ideology – which defines ‘Indian’ as exclusively Hindu – has led to an increase in religious oppression…

Hannah Brockhaus   Persevere in prayer, remembering that God is waiting to answer his children – even if the result is to change the person, not the circumstance, Pope Francis said at the general audience today. “How many times have we asked and not obtained – we all experience it – how many times have…

A Pakistani court sentenced Christian brothers Qaisar and Amoon Ayub to death for blasphemy after they were convicted of insulting the Islamic prophet Mohammed in articles and portraits posted on their website. Qaisar (44) and Amoon (38) have been held in Jhelum District Jail, Punjab province, 200km north of Lahore, since they were arrested in…

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has ordered a review into the plight of persecuted Christians around the world and how much help they get from the United Kingdom. The review, to be led by the Anglican Bishop of Truro Philip Mounstephen, will look at government efforts to help some of the 215 million Christians who…

Defending and protecting human life means rejecting abortion, caring for the sick, offering a decent welcome to immigrants, valuing the contributions of the elderly, encouraging families to have children and caring for the environment, the bishops of Italy have said. “We are called to welcome life before and after its birth, in every condition and…

Bishop Silvio Jose Baez has reiterated his calls for dialogue and respecting human dignity in Nicaragua, where the president has crushed protests, closed critical media outlets and persecuted anyone – including priests – publicly opposing his administration. “Dialogue is not a fad or simple political strategy,” Bishop Baez said in his Christmas homily. “When we…

Amid Lebanon’s political and economic strife and uncertainty in the Middle East, Catholic patriarchs urged their faithful to forge ahead in hope at Christmastime. At least two patriarchs expressed concern about Lebanon’s failure to form a new government since parliamentary elections in May. In his Christmas message, Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, patriarch of Maronite Catholics,…

In
 Christmas
 message,
 Pope
 prays 
for
 peace Delivering his formal Christmas message and blessing, Pope Francis prayed for a world where all people would recognise that they are brothers and sisters and would work for justice and for peace. The birth of Jesus proclaims that “God is a good father and we are all brothers and sisters. This truth is the…