Order of Malta Grand Master resigns The grand master of the Knights of Malta has resigned after Pope Francis declared all actions undertaken by him since the December dismissal of Grand Chancellor Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager “null and void”. According to the National Catholic Register, Fra’ Matthew Festing was summoned to an audience with Pope…
Students from the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan hold signs during the annual March for Life in Washington DC on January 27. Photo: CNS
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has been forced to suspend his controversial war on drugs just days after Catholic Church leaders issued fresh attacks on the campaign of murder. Amid reports that police units tasked with undertaking the president’s campaign are riddled with corruption – prompting criticism from Mr Duterte – police chief Ronald…
The Catholic bishops of Mexico have lamented the executive order signed by President Donald Trump which signals the start of the process to build his notorious southern border wall. Reacting to news of the order, the bishops issued a statement in which they called for consideration on how to create employment and promote security without…
The Chaldean Patriarchate in Iraq has begun to distribute funds to dioceses and parishes to begin the rebuilding of communities in areas liberated from so-called Islamic State (ISIS). As Patriarch Raphael Louis Sako I led a delegation to the Nineveh Plain las week to view for himself the damage inflicted on homes and churches by…
Pope Francis has called for people to “wait and see” what newly-inaugurated US President Donald Trump does in his leadership role and not rush to judgement. Amid a weekend of protests worldwide and angry denunciations on both sides of the political divide in America, Pope Francis’ was a voice of calm as he warned against…
The Catholic bishops of Venezuela have called on the government of President Nicolas Maduro to set a date for elections as the nation continues to sink into economic disaster. Following a plenary meeting of the hierarchy, the bishops issued a pastoral exhortation, ‘Jesus Christ, the Light and the Way for Venezuela’, in which they state…
Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta has voiced his sadness at negative reaction to the Maltese bishops’ new guidelines on the implementation of Amoris Laetitia. Following the January 13 issuing of Criteria for the Application of Chapter VIII of Amoris Laetitia which advised priests that divorced-and-remarried Catholics who are “at peace with God…cannot be precluded from…
A team of archaeologists in the Holy Land has uncovered a large perimeter wall dating to the 10th Century BC, which some experts believe is linked to a biblical battle referred to the in the Second Book of Samuel. The team, working in Israel’s southern Arava desert – within the ancient borders of the Kingdom…
Vatican demands Order of Malta cooperate with commission The Vatican has demanded that a defiant Order of Malta cooperate with its inquiry which seeks to investigate the circumstances of the removal of one of the order’s most senior members. Following the sudden departure of Grand Chancellor Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager on December 8 amid allegations…