US Bishops have criticised the execution of a man who was said to be mentally ill. William Morva was executed in Virginia, after being convicted of killing a hospital security guard and a sheriff’s deputy after escaping from custody several years ago. He was killed by lethal injection last week, causing the Virginia Catholic Conference…
European and American bishops have called for all nations to develop a plan to eliminate nuclear weapons from their military arsenals. A joint declaration from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions called upon the US and European nations to work with other nations to “map out…
Church officials have expressed disappointment over the refusal of the government of Myanmar to grant visas to three members of a UN fact-finding mission to investigate alleged human rights abuses by security forces against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. Bishop Alexander Pyone Cho of Pyay, in Rakhine state on the country’s western coast, said he…
Former Church watchdog challenges papal dismissal Cardinal Gerhard Müller has criticised as “unacceptable” how Pope Francis dismissed him as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF). Speaking to the German newspaper Passauer Neue Presse, the cardinal said it was only on the last working day of his five-year term as head of…
Last Saturday, Romans awoke to find a provocative image staring out from their neighbourhood newsstands. On the cover of the latest issue of the magazine Millennium, published by the daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, was a traditional depiction of St Sebastian with arrows protruding from his body, but with the head of the Pope, under the…
Even as the fate of the baby Charlie Gard again hangs in the balance there is healthy discussion and disagreement about his tragic case among Catholics who might normally agree on other matters. Yet I want to suggest that, despite these differences, we share a common concern. But first, I struggle to grasp how some…
Refugee organisations have expressed concern for how the US travel ban will effect refugees in transit and those who are refused entry into the country. Donald Trump’s strict immigration laws have been watered down since they were first announced, but the US Supreme Court has implemented a partial ban which will come into effect today…
Pope Francis led thousands of pilgrims in prayer as clashes in Venezuela continue due to a government decision to change the country’s constitution. “I call for an end to the violence and that a peaceful and democratic solution may be found,” the Pope said during his Angelus address last Sunday. Almost 100 people have died…
A Catholic bishop in the southern Philippine city of Marawi dismissed as “ridiculous” proposals to negotiate for the release of a priest held captive by terrorist gunmen. Speaking at a conference in the northern province of Pangasinan, Bishop Edwin de la Pena of Marawi said “there is no way we can dialogue” with extremists, according…
Cardinal Timothy Dolan has voiced his support for Cardinal George Pell who is going to Australia to face child abuse charges. From New York, Cardinal Dolan is a long-time friend of the embattled Cardinal Pell, saying his cooperation with authorities “only shows the mettle of a great man”. “I feel terribly sad for my good…
John L. Allen Jr.
Austen Ivereigh