The beatifications of 19 martyrs in Algeria will be a “great joy” to the Church and will help unite Christians and Muslims of the country, said a French-Algerian archbishop. The beatifications represent “hope for the future” rather than a “complaint about the past”, said Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers, the largest city in the North…
Vatican announces historic papal trip to UAE Pope Francis will visit the United Arab Emirates next year, becoming the first Pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula, the Vatican has announced. In a statement on December 6, the Vatican said the Pope will “participate in the International Interfaith Meeting on ‘Human Fraternity’” after receiving an invitation by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan,…
The Catholic Church has been slow to recognise the presence of homosexual men in the priesthood, which is why superiors must exercise care in helping gay candidates prepare for a life of celibacy or leave the seminary, Pope Francis said. “Homosexuality is a very serious matter, which must be discerned adequately from the beginning with…
The AIDS Office director of the South African bishops has said significant progress is being made in the AIDS response in South Africa. On the 30th World AIDS Day anniversary on Saturday, December 1, Mrudula Smithson who works for the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACB) said: “South Africa has the largest ARV programme in…
A member of the Sisters of Mercy has been presented with a Presidential Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her development and humanitarian work amongst the poor and marginalised in Kenya at Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin. Hailing from Dublin, Phisbsboro, Sr Mary Killeen received the award last week. Her missionary work in Africa began…
Chilean president Sebastián Piñera signed into law a bill permitting people aged 14 or older to change their name and gender in the civil registry. The law defines gender identity as “the personal or internal conviction of being a man or woman, in the person’s self-perception, which may or may not correspond with the sex…
The bishops of the Central African Republic (CAR) have set aside the day before Advent as a day of mourning and prayer for victims of ongoing violence in the country. December 1, is significant, as it marks the anniversary of CAR’s establishment as a republic after French colonial rule. In a statement, the bishops urged…
Philippine Catholic bishops are standing by Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan after he was targeted by President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent tirades. The controversial president accused the Kalookan prelate of giving Church donations to his family. Duterte also said he thought the bishop might be into drugs and threatened him with hanging. Archbishop Romulo Valles, head of the Catholic…
Advent Sunday: ‘Pray for children in Syria’ Pope Francis lit a candle, a symbol of hope, to pray for children affected by violence and war in Syria and across the Middle East. “Advent is a time of hope. At this moment I would like to make the hope for peace of the children of Syria, beloved Syria, mine,” the Pope prayed…
Hannah Brockhaus Learning to pray well is a continual process, but should always start from a place of humility, as Jesus demonstrated in the Gospels, Pope Francis said today. “Even if we have been praying for so many years, we must always learn!” the Pope said. “The prayer of man, this yearning that is…