On June 25, the Civil Tribunal of Mechelen, in Belgium, made an unusual ruling against two Roman Catholic bishops. Jozef De Kesel, the former Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, and Luc Terlinden, the current Archbishop of the same Archdiocese, have been ordered to pay a fine of 1,500 euros to a woman named Veer Dusauchoit. The woman Read more
It’s alarming to see the prevalence of fake and culturally insensitive images of Jesus on social media. Many of the AI photos draw in streams of users commenting “Amen” on bizarre Jesus images, praising the impressive work of nonexistent artists or wishing happy birthday to fake children sitting pitifully in mud. Intricate artistic renditions of Read more
During a general audience last Wednesday, Pope Francis advised priests to avoid giving lengthy sermons that could bore worshippers. “The homily should be brief: an image, a thought, a feeling. A homily should not last more than eight minutes,” he said. “Because after that time, attention is lost, and people fall asleep – and they’re Read more
A Catholic church in Thailand has been ridiculed and pilloried for getting a group of students to sport a coronal tonsure. A coronal tonsure, which first appeared in the 4th and 5th centuries, is a hairstyle worn by Catholic monks until it was abolished by Pope Paul VI in 1973. It is supposed to resemble Read more
Many Bolivian believers consider the ‘Virgen del Calvario de Letanías’ as more than just a statue—it is a symbol of deep devotion. They believe that this small image of the Virgin Mary, measuring less than four centimetres, is the smallest statue of the Virgin Mary in the world. Catholics in the town of Viacha are Read more
Vatican police have detained a former employee on charges of attempted extortion after he allegedly tried to sell a 17th-century gilded manuscript describing Bernini’s designs for the altar canopy of St. Peter’s Basilica back to the Holy See. Vatican prosecutors said that the 18-page manuscript, which apparently contains the first known specifications for the gilding of Read more
In the 1980s, Wayne Pearson was reportedly the first person to have used LOL while responding to a friend’s joke in a pre-Internet digital chat room called Viewline. Instead of writing “hahaha,” as he had done before when he found something humorous, Pearson instead typed “LOL” to symbolize extreme laughter. A lesser-known initialism from the Read more
Donald Trump has a long history of comparing himself to historical figures: Mona Lisa, Nelson Mandela, even Jesus Christ. Now, Mother Teresa can add herself to the growing list “I would say, in listening to the charges from the judge, who’s, as you know, very conflicted, and corrupt, because of the conflicting, very very corrupt, Mother Teresa could Read more
Visitors should be able to visit Notre Dame by the end of 2024, but for eager pilgrims and tourists who can’t wait LEGO has added a set of Notre Dame de Paris to its collection of world-famous monuments, which includes the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramid of Giza. Boasting unique features, the Notre Dame set stands Read more
People living near the international date line have become used to some confusion about when a feast day occurs. Even Sunday becomes a moveable feast. If you live in Tonga, you can avoid your Sunday obligation by slipping across the date line and then coming back again, Some years ago, a significant crisis unfolded when Read more