UK Catholic leaders urged the British government to accept more child refugees from northern France after reports that hundreds of young people are being forced to sleep outdoors in low temperatures. An English and Scottish bishop said the situation of migrants waiting in the French port of Calais for the opportunity to cross the English…

There is a resounding belief that the Pope’s message of peace in Myanmar will make a difference in the country among those who attended the Papal trip. Robert Taylor, from England, attended the Kyaikkasan Grounds Mass and the Mass for youth at St Mary’s Cathedral. Travelling with his wife Rachel and three-year-old daughter Beth, he…

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…