Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez was released from prison late on Monday, a diplomatic source said, marking a possible turning point in the government’s prolonged crackdown on the Catholic Church. The diplomatic source said on Tuesday that negotiations between the government and the country’s Catholic bishops were going on over Alvarez’s future, and the prelate Read more
New liturgical furnishings have been chosen for Notre-Dame de Paris, the world-famous gothic cathedral in the French capital that’s currently being refurbished after almost being destroyed in a 2019 fire. The furnishings include a semi-circle altar rising from a three-step base, a designer bishop’s chair, a sleek ambo, and a stylised tabernacle – all in Read more
Former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is not competent to stand trial on charges accusing him of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Massachusetts decades ago, an expert for the prosecution says, raising doubts about the future of the criminal case against the 92-year-old. This week, prosecutors disclosed their expert’s findings to the judge, who Read more
The Rotary Club of Howick’s Blankets 4 Kids 4 Winter annual appeal has highlighted once again the generosity of the Howick community. Despite the community having already responded generously to those impacted by flooding in January and Cyclone Gabrielle, the babies and children in the wider community will again benefit from that same spirit of Read more
A judge in Texas has ruled that a district court does not have jurisdiction to hear a lawsuit brought by a monastery of Carmelite nuns against Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth. The decision, handed down on Friday, June 30, ruled that the nuns’ suit is “dismissed for want of subject-matter jurisdiction.” Read more
The Catholic church in Germany revealed it’s been losing followers like never before. More than half a million people decided to renounce their membership in 2022. According to the German Bishops’ Conference in Bonn, 522,821 people left the church last year. The number was way more than the forecasts made by the institution. In 2021, Read more
Australian universities are ranked alongside the very best in the world, with three – Melbourne, Sydney and UNSW – in the top 20 of the new list from global rankings group QS. The QS 2024 World University Rankings also name nine Australian universities in the global top 100 (up from seven last year). Nearly all Read more
The last refugee held by Australia on Nauru has been evacuated off the island, flying into Brisbane on Saturday night, marking the end – at least for now – of more than a decade of offshore processing on the Pacific island. However, the Australian government says it remains committed to offshore processing as a policy. Read more
Teachers are warning of a gruelling winter ahead for children in poverty, as the cost-of-living crisis takes a major toll on struggling families, says KidsCan. “They say it is affecting learning, with more children arriving hungry, others barefoot in freezing weather, and sickness spreading in overcrowded, unheated homes.,” says a KidsCan spokesperson. KidsCan has seen Read more