When child sexual abuse scandals involving Catholic priests emerge in Africa, they do not draw a frenzied reaction similar to that witnessed in developed countries, but the continent’s Church is affected, Catholic leaders have said. While there is a general view that the scandals are a challenge of the Church in Europe and America, African…

An official of the Central African Republic bishops’ conference has raised doubts about a new government-rebel peace deal and urged the international community to give greater backing to the country’s legitimate armed forces. “Of course, we can hope such an accord might lead toward peace, but if it runs counter to justice and truth, this…

A council in London could become the second local authority in the UK to approve an exclusion zone around an abortion clinic. A regulatory committee of Richmond Council voted last week to make it a crime to attempt any form of interaction with staff or visitors to a center run by the British Pregnancy Advisory…

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 The sainthood cause of Jesuit Fr Pedro Arrupe was formally opened in Rome at the Basilica of St John Lateran on February 5, the 28th anniversary of Fr Arrupe’s death. The cause of Fr Arrupe, superior general of the Jesuits from 1965 to 1983, was set in motion by the Diocese of Rome, the…

Letter from Rome   Inés San Martín   A Pope, a prince and an Imam walk side by side at an airport on the red carpet. It seems like the beginning of a bad bar joke, but instead, it was the start of a historic, first-ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula on February 3. It’s…

Meeting with tens of thousands of Catholics living in the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis urged them to be meek, peaceful and express their Christian identity by loving others. The UAE Catholic community, which numbers close to one million, includes foreign workers from roughly 100 nations, but particularly India and the Philippines. They filled the…

US Catholic priests are feeling the pinch as many say they have experienced a drop in Church collections after several sex abuse reports and scandals levelled at high ranking prelates in the country have affected parishioners’ willingness to donate. A priest from the Annunciation Church in Brazil, Indiana, has said he noticed “a pretty sharp…

A broad swath of the US Midwest experienced a deep freeze during last week with historic low temperatures impacting daily routines. The Arctic blast forced the cancellation of flights, stopped mail delivery in several states, caused power outages and closed businesses, restaurants, schools and government offices with temperatures as low as -37°C. Catholic schools, in…

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…