According to aid workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sexual violence against women and girls is on the rise. “The systematic use of rape as a weapon of war is not only a violation of human rights, but also a targeted strategy to destabilise communities,” said the country director of the aid organisation…
The General Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation will meet in Augsburg in 2030. The occasion is the 500th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria announced in Munich on Friday. This was decided by the Council of the World Federation in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. The Confessio Augustana is…
An Italian boy dies of leukaemia at the age of 15. Now Carlo Acutis is canonised because he was particularly pious and socially committed. In addition to enthusiasm, the honour also triggers criticism. The boy in the red polo shirt smiles somewhat shyly into the camera, carrying a rucksack over his shoulders. Carlo Acutis, who…
Paolo Affatato The best time to visit Genazzano, a picturesque medieval town in Lazio, about 45 km south of Rome, is early July — when the streets themselves bloom beneath your feet. The town is famous for its Infiorata, a traditional flower festival held on the first Sunday of July to mark the feast of…
As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate despite international efforts to broker a ceasefire, Pope Leo XIV Wednesday afternoon had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Pope’s phone conversation with Putin, confirmed by a Vatican spokesman late Wednesday night, came the same day that United States President Donald Trump had…
It is common knowledge that Pope Leo XIV knows his home country, the USA, and his missionary country, Peru. But he is also familiar with the evil consequences of communism in Eastern Europe. This is reported by the former Archbishop of Prague. Leo XIV, the first pope from the USA, is apparently a convinced anti-communist…
A parish priest in the Gaza Strip talks about his pastoral work among the war In the background happy cries are heard of children dancing to the sound of very rhythmic music. Then suddenly sounds of gunfire and shouts “is our daily surrealism,” Fr Gabriel Romanelli, the Catholic parish priest of the Gaza Strip,…
Paolo Affatato He is a man who has skilfully woven the threads of dialogue throughout his apostolic ministry as bishop and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. Today, 80-year-old Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop Emeritus of Mumbai – one of 37 Asian cardinals who took part in the General Congregations before the Conclave and…
PaoloAffatato Pope Leo XIV is by no means a stranger in Asia. This brings hope to believers in the nations and territories of the largest and most plural continent, where two thirds of humanity live. His familiarity with Asian contexts deepened significantly during his tenure as Prior General of the Order of St Augustine. As…
The German Cardinal Walter Kasper is in favour of a women’s diaconate in the Catholic Church – and believes further reforms are necessary. “In my personal opinion, opening up the permanent diaconate to women has good theological arguments in its favour and would be a sensible pastoral step,” writes the 92-year-old in his autobiography. “Women…