The three Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — now share a common place to worship in the predominantly Muslim United Arab Emirates with the opening of the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi. Such was the dream of Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb, who in 2019 signed a historic pledge calling…
Petition for release of Nicaraguan bishop given to embassy in Mexico The Actívate and Solidart platforms have delivered a petition with 11,000 signatures to the Nicaraguan embassy in Mexico City condemning the human rights violations committed by dictator President Daniel Ortega and demanding the release of the Bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Álvarez. Members of both…
Newly-discovered asteroid named after a pope The Vatican Observatory announced the naming of four newly-discovered asteroids after notable Catholics, including Pope Gregory XIII, who began the tradition of papal astronomers and observatories. Christopher Graney, a scientist at the Vatican Observatory, said in a press release that the Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) of…
A court has acquitted a Catholic priest and a pregnancy counsellor of crimes in connection with the “harassment of abortion clinic clients”. District Judge David Wain February 16 dismissed charges against Fr Sean Gough and Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, in a matter of seconds, in a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates Court. Ms Vaughan-Spruce, co-director of March for…
An independent commission’s report on the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church in Portugal “points to the urgent need to combat whatever fosters silence from those who have been impacted by abuse,” said Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston. Silence “impedes effective prevention and the administration of justice,” said the cardinal, who is president…
Two Nicaraguan priests, part of the group of more than 200 political prisoners released February 9 by the regime of Daniel Ortega, celebrated Mass with their compatriots in exile at Sts Agatha Church in Sweetwater, Florida. After the Mass, Fr Benito Enrique Martínez, from the Diocese of León, and Fr José Luis Díaz, from the…
In the case known as “Coup I,” Bolivia’s attorney general’s office has requested that 10 bishops testify regarding their role in the alleged 2019 coup d’état that led to the resignation of President Evo Morales. Archbishop Percy Galván of La Paz, the nation’s capital, charged that the move is an attempt to “intimidate us,” and…
Missionary injured by land mine has foot amputated An Italian-born Catholic priest has undergone numerous gruelling surgeries, eventually losing his foot, after he sustained injuries in a land mine explosion in the Central African Republic (CAR). The Catholic pontifical and charity foundation Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN) reported that Fr Norberto Pozzi,…
The Canadian government has introduced legislation to delay by one year plans to include mental illness among the list of conditions eligible for the country’s assisted suicide program. The assisted suicide law – called Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) – excludes Canadians from eligibility whose only medical condition is mental illness. In 2021 lawmakers excluded…
‘Pope’s ministry is for life’, says Pope Francis Pope Francis addressed once again the question of whether he will resign the papacy in two conversations with Jesuit priests in Africa this month. “I believe that the pope’s ministry is ad vitam. I see no reason why it should not be so,” the Pope said February…