The number of ram raids carried out has quadrupled in the space of just two years – and the majority of those caught were under the age of 18. In two years there has been a 465 percent increase in ram raids, and of those caught by police 70 percent were aged under 18. Data Read more
Despite repeated warnings from the Vatican, a letter by the president of the German Bishops’ Conference published Wednesday confirms that plans for a German synodal council are progressing. In the letter— dated February 23 and published March 1 — Bishop Georg Bätzing writes that the German bishops take the Vatican’s “concerns” about a German synodal Read more
Fertility rates worldwide are plummeting and experts are worried the population decline could be very bad news. Humans have altered the planet to such an extent that scientists have declared a new name for a new era – ‘The Anthropocene’, the age of humans. But for better or worse, the boom time could be over. Read more
Last month, a “bombshell” letter from the Carthusian monks in Voiron, France circulated through the world of spirits. The letter explains a decision by the monks to limit the production of Charteuse, their famed alpine liqueur dating to 1605, in order “to focus on their primary goal: protect their monastic life and devote their time Read more
After three of Brazil’s most important wine producers were accused of using slave labor last week, the Brazilian Church released a statement affirming that wines made by manufacturers which violate “the respect to human dignity” must not be chosen as sacramental wines. Black Church activists, nevertheless, want more concrete actions from the clergy. On February Read more
Asian Church leaders have concluded their continental-level preparations for making the Church more participatory by discussing key questions that have not been sufficiently discussed during lower-level gatherings. The continental-level gathering that ended on Feb. 26 in Bangkok was the highest preparation level ahead of the Synod of Bishops, more commonly called the Synod on Synodality, Read more
Sunday would normally be a busy time at the Hawke’s Bay community’s 102-year-old memorial church. But this week, parishioners found silt covering the floor and generations-old pews upturned by floodwaters. “It took an hour and a half to dig out the front door, and we came into this church not knowing what we’d find,” said Read more
Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th-century pontiff responsible for what is today known as the Gregorian calendar, now has another celestial claim to fame. A working group of the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him, the Vatican Observatory said Tuesday. The “560974 Ugoboncompagni” — Gregory’s birth name was Ugo Boncompagni — was announced Read more
Credit arrears are continuing to climb as the challenging economic conditions put pressure on households. Data from credit bureau Centrix shows 11.9 percent of New Zealanders were in arrears in January – a four year high – with 430,000 people behind on repayments, which was an increase of 20,000 from December. The number of households Read more
As soldiers and police looked on, bulldozers destroyed more than 100 houses on two streets in Myanmar’s second-largest city, leaving residents – many of whom had been living there for decades – homeless overnight, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia. The junta demolished the homes on Monday on Mandalay’s Ma Kha Yar street Read more