Photo: CNS 
Filming of vulgar music video in church forces archbishop to apologise
Spanish archbishop Francisco Cerro Chaves has asked for forgiveness after the filming of a music video, which included sensual dance scenes, took place within the church.
Archbishop Chaves, of Toledo, was also forced to carry out a penitential act Sunday at the city’s cathedral after the revelations about the music video became known to local church authorities.
Speaking in the aftermath of the video, the archbishop apologised for the collective “negligence in the care and respect for the church” after it was revealed that a local priest, Fr Ferrer had granted permission for the video to be film after he misconstrued what the content of the video related to.
Number of Catholics in Asia and Africa continues to rise
The number of Catholics in Asia and Africa continued to grow in 2019, as per newly released statistics.
The world population grew by 81.3 million in 2019, while members of the Catholic Church increased by 15.4 million for a total of 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide.
The Catholic population has stayed steady with population growth. At the end of 2019, Catholics made up 17.74% of the global population — up just .01% from 2018.
The number of Catholics in Africa grew by more than eight million in 2019, for a total of around 19% of the population, while in Asia, which has 4.5 billion people, Catholics make up just 3.31% of the population, at 149.1 million.
Possibility of ‘ideological risk’ prompts archdiocese to forego synod
Archbishop Wolfgang Haas of Vaduz, Liechtenstein, announced that his archdiocese won’t take part in the two-year global synodal process, saying that it would run “the risk of becoming ideological”.
Addressing the decision, Archbishop Haas stated that “all those who wish to do so can enter into dialogue with one another, listen to one another, and maintain personal communication about suggestions, wishes, and ideas in everyday Church life.
“In parish and church councils, as well as in school, social, and charitable institutions and in educational establishments, there are constant relationships among interested people in which a responsible, tactful, sensitive interaction can take place.”
The archdiocese is based in the capital of Liechtenstein and has a population of 38,000 people, around 73% of whom are Catholic.
Adults from Afghanistan baptised as Catholics in Vienna
Eleven people from Afghanistan are among the 27 adults who were recently baptised as Catholics in Austria’s Vienna archdiocese with Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna formally welcoming the candidates for adult Baptism at a ceremony on October 20 at a Carmelite church in Vienna’s Döbling district.
In addition to the 11 Afghans, there are six Iranians and four Austrians, with the remainder from five other countries.
Afghanistan is the world’s second-worst country in which to be a Christian, behind North Korea.
Celebrating the event, Cardinal Schönborn remarked that “being a Christian imparts a hope that is greater than the problems and crises of this world and also greater than the personal blows of fate that some of you have already experienced”.
