In the aftermath of the fire that gutted a church in Cameroon, Bishop Aloysius Fondong of the Diocese of Mamfé entered the ruins to retrieve the Blessed Sacrament and found the sacred Hosts and the ciborium containing them to be intact. On the night of September 16, armed men set fire to St Mary’s church…
Category: World Report
In Brief
Strong education key to ‘better world,’ cardinal tells UN summit During a UN education summit, the Vatican’s secretary of state reiterated Pope Francis’ pre-pandemic call that education is “one of the most effective ways of making our work and history more human”. Addressing the final day of the Transforming Education Summit September 19, Cardinal Pietro…
Bishops in Belgium defy Vatican by blessing same-sex unions
In open defiance of the Vatican, Catholic bishops in Belgium September 20 announced the introduction of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in their dioceses. The bishops of Flanders also published a liturgy for the celebration of homosexual unions. “In doing so, they are going directly against the Vatican,” reported Nederlands Dagblad. The Vatican published an official clarification in March…
Russian priest says Catholics fear conscription
A senior Russian priest dismissed President Vladimir Putin’s threats of nuclear war as “just words,” but said many young Catholics now fear being forcibly conscripted with their priests to join the war against Ukraine. “Although I’m not a military person, I don’t think the Russian army could even use nuclear weapons – and if it…
Vatican Roundup
Editor says renewal of Vatican agreement with China on the horizon As the October deadline approaches for the extension of the Vatican’s agreement with the Chinese government, the newly appointed editor of the news agency of the Dicastery for Evangelisation said the deal has been instrumental in allowing Catholics to practice their faith openly and…
Pakistani bishops say more help needed after deadly flooding
Three bishops of Pakistan dioceses most affected by recent deadly monsoon flooding appealed for more funding for emergency food, repairing damaged homes and providing medical needs for the worst-hit victims in their provinces. The South Asian country has been hit hard by record floods caused by monsoon rains and glacial melting since the rainy season…
In Brief
Cuban dictatorship expels Jesuit’s superior The Cuban dictatorship has expelled Fr David Pantaleón, who served as superior of the Jesuits, from the island by not renewing his residency permit. “On the morning of Tuesday, September 13, Fr David Pantaleón, superior of the Jesuits in Cuba, left the island because his residency permit was not renewed,”…
US court’s blocking transgender mandate a ‘victory’
A unanimous ruling by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans blocking the Biden administration’s transgender mandate “is a major victory for conscience rights and compassionate medical care in America,” said the attorney who represented the plaintiffs in the case. “Doctors cannot do their jobs and comply with the Hippocratic oath if…
Myanmar’s soldiers lay land mines around church
Soldiers in Myanmar used a Catholic church as a kitchen and laid mines around the building, Church sources told ucanews.com. A video posted by local defence forces showed dirty floors and pews covered with dust along with cooking pots and military uniforms inside Mother of God Church in Mobye, in Shan state. The video went…
UN human rights report on Nicaragua cites ‘attacks on Church’
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) released a report September 13 that condemned the regime of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, citing a “deterioration of the human rights situation”. The report included a compilation of recent incidents in which the Nicaraguan government has attacked and repressed the Catholic Church. President…










