Caritas agencies are responding to the devastating earthquake in Morocco, where over 2,600 lives have been lost and thousands have been injured. The 6.8 magnitude earthquake is the strongest in over a century. Entire buildings have collapsed, and there are reports some remote villages have been completely destroyed, leaving people trapped or homeless. Many families Read more
News Shorts
Sweeping study finds 1,000 cases of sexual abuse in Swiss Catholic Church
Thursday, September 14th, 2023A sweeping, year-long study of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and others in Switzerland has turned up more than 1,000 cases since the mid-20th century, as the Swiss church becomes the latest in Europe to reckon with the abuse scandal. With few exceptions, those accused of wrongdoing were all male. Nearly three-fourths of the documents Read more
Florida man charged with double homicide in killing of girlfriend who refused abortion
Monday, September 11th, 2023Police in Sanford, Florida, charged a 21-year-old man with double homicide in the killing of his pregnant girlfriend and preborn child, an action police believe was motivated by her refusal to get an abortion. Sanford police arrested the former boyfriend, Donovan Faison, on Tuesday, Aug 29, for the November 2022 killing. He was charged with Read more
Moriori call for official week to celebrate indigenous language
Monday, September 11th, 2023Moriori are calling for their own official week to celebrate its indigenous language in New Zealand to save it from extinction. Moriori, who are the original inhabitants of Rēkohu, the Chatham Islands, want to revitalise their language, showcase traditions and debunk commonly held myths. Read more
New chapel next to locked St Mary’s Church in Hokitika
Monday, September 11th, 2023
A new chapel will be built next door to the locked St Mary’s Church in Hokitika, parishioners have been told. The news – delivered at Mass last weekend – dashes hopes for a $2 million contribution from the Christchurch Catholic Diocese towards re-strengthening and reopening the existing church, which was closed 10 years ago. Friends Read more
Seattle archdiocese asks pastors to resign ahead of parish consolidation
Monday, September 11th, 2023The Archdiocese of Seattle has requested that all parish pastors submit their resignations from office as part of a years-long parish consolidation process across the archdiocese, which is expected to reduce the number of parishes by more than half. Archdiocesan officials say the move comes after considerable consultation with clergy and is meant to streamline Read more
Australia to require AI-made child abuse material be removed from search results
Monday, September 11th, 2023Australia will make search engines like Google and Bing take steps to prevent the sharing of child sexual abuse material created by artificial intelligence, the country’s internet regulator said on Friday. A new code drafted by the industry giants at the government’s request will require search engines to ensure that such content is not returned Read more
As persecution worsens in Burkina Faso, Christians come back to the Church
Monday, September 11th, 2023An expert on anti-Christian persecution says that escalating jihadist violence in the African nation of Burkina Faso is producing the paradoxical effect of inducing lapsed Christians to return to religious practice. Maria Lozano of the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) described the phenomenon as “a beautiful message of faith.” In a Read more
South Korea warns the North to stop nukes program or risk regime instability
Thursday, September 7th, 2023South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a fresh warning to North Korea on Monday, urging Pyongyang to halt its nuclear program if it wants to avoid regime instability. “North Korean authorities are wasting scarce financial resources on the development of nuclear and missile capabilities,” Yoon said in a written interview with the Associated Press. Read more
Judiciary to use AI for writing decisions, reports
Thursday, September 7th, 2023Turkish Supreme Court head Mehmet Akarca has announced that artificial intelligence (AI) systems will be utilised in some judicial tasks, such as composing reasoned decisions and preparing reports, local media reported on Sept 3. The Supreme Court has been harnessing technological advancements for a while, already establishing an AI-supported virtual centre disseminating precedents of the Read more