Warning of ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Nagorno-Karabakh A leading politician serving the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has strongly echoed Pope Francis’ concerns about the humanitarian situation in the fragile region located within Azerbaijan’s borders. In an interview with CNA, Ruben Vardanyan, State Minister of Artsakh, said that the international community must act in order to prevent…
Category: World Report
Vatican Roundup
Get out of your comfort zone to seek God like the Magi, Pope Francis says On the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis said that if the Magi had remained comfortable, they never would have encountered the Lord in Bethlehem. In his homily for the Church’s celebration of the Three Kings on January 6, the…
Nigerian bishop: Pre-Christmas massacre part of ‘a deliberate plan’
A Nigerian bishop has denounced “a deliberate plan to unleash evil” on Christian villagers following reports that dozens of people were killed in a violent attack December 18 in Kaduna State. “The motivation for these attacks as far as we know is that it’s a deliberate plan to unleash evil and to terrify our people…
‘I never had respect for the bishops’, says dictator Ortega
The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, once again attacked the Catholic Church in the Central American country, accusing it of “calling for bloodshed,” and said, “I never had respect for the bishops.” The Sandinista dictator made the statement December 19 during the 25th commencement for graduates in police sciences from the Walter Mendoza Martínez Police…
Claim Church teaching helped prompt gay bar shooting is ‘lie’
Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila called it irresponsible and a “flat out lie” for The Denver Post daily newspaper and some other local media to scapegoat Catholic teaching on human sexuality as contributing to hatred against transgender people and the wider LGBTQ community that led to a mass shooting at a Colorado gay bar. He made…
Rome diocese learned ‘recently’ of Fr Rupnik accusations
Cardinal Angelo De Donatis said December 23 that the Diocese of Rome learned only recently about the accusations of abuse against Fr Marko Rupnik, a Jesuit priest and artist who has served in the diocese for decades. In a statement, Cardinal De Donatis said “the diocese of Rome, which was unaware until recently of the…
US Supreme Court keeps ‘heartbreaking’ restriction on border entry
The US Supreme Court said December 27 that a federal public health rule that allows immigration officials at the border to quickly turn away migrants seeking asylum could stay in place while legal challenges to the policy played out. In a 5-4 decision, the justices stopped a trial judge’s ruling that would have lifted the…
In Brief
Fire breaks out in Brazil’s Aparecida shrine A fire broke out in the Chapel of the Candles at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. The fire started around 8am local time. According to the Marian shrine, the fire started because a candle had been placed on a pew.…
Vatican Roundup
Love comes first, Pope says in letter on St Francis de Sales The most important question a Christian can ask when making any decision in life is “where the greatest love is to be found,” Pope Francis wrote in a letter marking the 400th anniversary of St Francis de Sales, a doctor of the Church.…
US Catholic population shows growth and southward move
The Catholic population in the United States has grown by about two million people in 10 years. With nearly 62 million people, it continues to constitute the largest religious body in 36 US states, according to the latest religion-focused survey of America’s religious congregations. Over the last decade, many Catholics, the survey found, have moved…











