Pope Francis’ anti-corruption law seeks to quash Vatican ‘envelope’ culture As part of a sweeping new anti-corruption law, Pope Francis last Thursday declared that officials of the Roman Curia should no longer accept personal gifts with a monetary value over €40. The new rule appears to be an effort to quash the Vatican “envelope” culture,…
Russian troops instilling fear in Ukraine border regions A Catholic bishop from eastern Ukraine said tensions remain high despite an announced withdrawal of Russian forces. “Nothing has changed – the great bulk of Russian forces are still here, as fighting flares intermittently and people still die,” said Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk of Odessa-Simferopol. “The east and…
Pope Francis today (Wednesday) encouraged people to embrace the contemplative dimension of being human both in prayer and their daily lives
The religious persecution exercised by China and North Korea, restrictions on religious freedom in dozens of countries and the continuing threat of violence at the hands of religious fundamentalists belonging to a variety of faiths all have worsened since 2018, said Aid to the Church in Need, a papal foundation and Catholic charity. The problems…
Bishops across the United States on April 20 and 21 responded to the guilty verdict for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, in the trial for the murder of George Floyd. Two chairs of committees at the US bishops’ conference (USCCB) issued a joint statement last Tuesday evening, after a jury found Chauvin guilty of…
The chairman of the US bishops’ pro-life committee April 20 called on the Biden administration to fund research “that does not rely upon body parts taken from innocent children killed through abortion”. “The bodies of children killed by abortion deserve the same respect as that of any other person,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas…
Numerous religious leaders gathered in Sri Lanka to mark the second anniversary of the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings and to pray for an end to religious extremism. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, spoke at St Anthony’s Shrine, along with Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim leaders. The service included prayers and two minutes of…
Catholics in a northern Thai province have been supporting thousands of displaced Karen refugees from Myanmar — in stark contrast to the Thai government’s unwelcoming policy regarding refugees and migrants from the military-ruled neighbouring country. Church leaders joined by Catholics in Chiang Mai have welcomed and supported thousands of Karen refugees with aid after they…
Newly beatified martyrs can inspire fidelity to God, says Pope The Catholic Church’s newest blesseds are six “meek disciples of Christ”, who showed heroic courage defending the Eucharist from profanation when French troops sacked their Italian monastery in 1799 and scattered the Blessed Sacrament on the floor while searching for any valuables they could carry…
Covid claims Catholic priests in Indian state Seven Catholic priests have died of Covid-19 in the space of four days in India’s Gujarat state, one of the worst-hit areas where government and private hospitals are adding more beds as infections spiral out of control. In one day, April 19, Gujarat reported as many as 7,107…