A diocese in the northern Philippines appealed for aid July 27 after a magnitude 7 earthquake that killed at least four and injured dozens. The Archdiocese of Tuguegarao in northeastern Luzon said churches and historical sites sustained cracks and were damaged, but it also needed help to repair hospital infrastructure and equipment. Patients were evacuated…
Vatican asks Catholics to share experiences helping migrants and refugees As the Church prepares to commemorate the World Day of Migrants and Refugees in September, Pope Francis launched a video campaign meant to highlight the spiritual and cultural contributions that migrants bring to people’s lives. “Migrants and refugees offer us a great opportunity for the…
The latest warning by the Holy See about the risk of a new schism from Germany arising from the “Synodal Way” has been rejected and met with “astonishment” by its organisers, who in turn accused Rome of not acting like a synodal Church. However, at least one German bishop and a reform group welcomed the new intervention…
Rare documentation of the Portuguese Inquisition with detailed information about the sentencing trials which took place 500 years ago have been digitised for the first time in the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People Jerusalem’s National Library of Israel. The documents include printed versions of sermons preached by two priests at the…
French parliamentarians warned that thousands of historic churches, many dating from the Middle Ages, will have to be sold or demolished unless government officials allocate resources to maintain them. “Like other Western countries, France faces questions over the future of its religious heritage given society’s growing secularisation,” a report for the French Senate said. “As…
Pope calls for ‘covenant’ between humanity and environment Humanity can no longer ignore the cries of the earth that is suffering due to greed and the excessive consumption of its resources, Pope Francis said. In his message for the World Day of Prayer for Creation, the Pope said the current climate crisis is a call…
The top representative of Europe’s Catholic bishops said the Vatican is changing its approach to the war in Ukraine because of the unlikelihood of a mediated settlement. He also praised the resilience of Ukrainians in withstanding Russian aggression. “Certain cultural ambiences can make us less sensitive to how things are seen in Ukraine. I myself…
Maronite Catholic officials in Lebanon have denounced the detention of one of its bishops on the country’s southern border with Israel. The July 18 incident occurred at the border post of Lebanon’s General Security in the village of Ras Naqoura, at which Maronite Archbishop Moussa El-Hage of Haifa and the Holy Land was detained for…
Pope meets with Monaco royalty at Vatican Pope Francis interrupted his traditional July break to meet with Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife, Princess Charlene, at the Vatican. According to the Vatican press office, the Pope met with the royal couple July 20 and spoke privately for 25 minutes. After their meeting, the…
The Vatican has warned that the synodal process in Germany cannot adopt new approaches to the Church’s teaching on doctrines and morals. It will be seen by observers as a shot across the bow of other synodal processes insisting that they not veer from traditional Catholic understandings. “It seems necessary to make it clear that…
Michael Kelly