The situation for Gaza’s Christian community is “worsening hour by hour”. It’s extremely serious says the Palestinian city’s only Catholic priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli (pictured). Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports agree. “Our people are constantly suffering. Every time both sides talk about a truce, the intensity of military operations increases” reports an Read more
Catholic women are demanding equality and visibility while urging the Church institution to set aside its fears about change. Leadership positions within the Church are important, a pre-International Women’s Day gathering near the Vatican said. “It’s so important that the Catholic Church be engaged in this issue, not just internally but also externally given the Read more
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar acknowledged defeat as two proposed constitutional amendments on the family and care agenda were on course for rejection. Voters rejected the amendments which aimed to redefine family structures and address outdated language regarding women’s roles in the home. Despite Varadkar’s advocacy for updating the constitution to reflect modern societal norms Read more
The bishops of three Polish dioceses of the Greek Catholic Church have issued decrees forbidding priests and deacons from using digital devices during Eucharist and Reconciliation. The move comes in response to a growing trend of clergy incorporating technology into Masses and confessions, prompting concerns about distractions and the sanctity of these rituals. Bishop Arkadiusz Read more
Grieving parents are perfectly entitled to ask God why their child had to die, Pope Francis says. Demanding answers when one’s child dies is anything but a sign of a lack of faith. “There is nothing worse than silencing pain, putting a silencer on suffering, removing traumas without facing them as our world often encourages Read more
Women with Catholic employers are well-supported financially, with a smaller gender pay gap than their peers. Released on 27 February, the first national Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) report also notes some say their employers could do more to uphold all their employees’ dignity. The WGEA investigated about 5,000 companies, each employing more than 100 Read more
A drunk man who vented vile racist comments at three people in an unnamed Hamilton Catholic church has appeared in the Hamilton District Court. Claiming to be a Catholic, the man even spat at the people. Craig George Murray’s behaviour made very unpleasant reading, said Judge Arthur Tompkins as he sentenced Murray for the incident. Read more
New Zealand Police have found emeritus Cardinal Archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand, John Dew has no case to answer regarding a historical sexual abuse allegation. Dew was accused of serious criminal sexual misconduct during his time as an assistant priest in Upper Hutt. The announcement comes after a 10-month Police probe into the allegation dating Read more
He’s warned Catholic seminaries against the tendency to turn future priests into “little monsters”. He’s scolded the Church’s presbyters for wearing ornate liturgical vestments that stem from a bygone era, telling them to stop dressing up in “granny’s lace”. And he’s called it a “scandal” to see young priests and seminarians going into the ecclesiastical Read more
German bishops have postponed a crucial vote on establishing a Synodal Council following a request from the Vatican. The council was intended to be a mixed body of laity and bishops governing the Church in Germany. It was scheduled for discussion during a February 19–22 plenary assembly in Augsburg. Matthias Kopp, spokesperson for the German Read more