Definitely a Papal visit for the history books, writes Chai Brady After what can only be described as a hugely successful Papal trip, there was definitely a collective exhalation from organisers and governments alike as Pope Francis stepped onto his plane back to Rome after delivering his messages of peace and unity. This was no…

Thousands of the faithful broke the silence of the ghost town that is Myanmar’s capital city to welcome Pope Francis on the second day of his historic visit to the embattled nation. Colours and music filled the streets all the way to Naypyidaw airport, with exuberant Christians donning their t-shirts with the logo of Francis’…

Egypt’s Coptic Christians – often the target of Islamist violence in the country – have pledged solidarity and support after a deadly terror attack on a mosque in Sinai which left at least 305 worshippers dead. Pope Tawadros II, along with all members of the Coptic Church, extended their condolences to the victims’ families, a…

All Zimbabweans should have a voice in the country’s governance following Robert Mugabe’s 37-year presidency, and the new government should embrace diversity, Zimbabwe’s bishops said. Congratulating President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose November 24 inauguration followed a de facto coup, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference also thanked 93-year-old Mugabe for “the good work he did for Zimbabwe…

The Second Vatican Council continues to have an enduring impact on the Church and on the papacy of Pope Francis, according to the Vatican’s top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. That gathering of bishops from around the world presented a new paradigm of a “world Church – a Church with a global dimension”, said the cardinal,…

A diocesan bishop is the sole judge in the streamlined process for handling marriage annulments, Pope Francis has said. The simplified process “is not an option that the diocesan bishop can choose, but rather an obligation that derives from his consecration and from the mission received”, making the bishop the sole and exclusive authority in…

As Pope Francis continues his tour to Myanmar and Bangladesh, Catholics in neighbouring India regret missing a chance to meet him in their homeland, nostalgically recalling past papal visits, reported ucanews.com. Catholic groups began discussing plans to host the pontiff earlier this year, after the Vatican confirmed a papal visit to the region. According to…

Letter from Canada   The death of Gregory Baum on October 18 in Montreal marked the close of an era for the Catholic Church in Canada. But not only is it Canadian Catholicism that both mourns and celebrates the life and work of an inspiring nonagenarian; it is the universal Church as well. Baum was…

The priority now has to be improving human rights and lifting millions of people out of extreme poverty, writes Seán Farrell   Zimbabwe always struck me as a country struggling with how its past influenced the present. So many of my conversations in my two years working for Trócaire in the country revolved around the…

Susan Gately writes on the Capuchin doorkeeper who teaches us ‘I can’t do everything but I will do what I can’. The Irish heritage of a Capuchin priest beatified last weekend in Detroit made him who he was, according to Fr Tom Betz OFM Cap., St Augustine, Pittsburg’s Capuchin Provincial Minister. Fr Betz was speaking…