Saint-Merry-Outside-the-Walls, a Catholic community in central Paris known for its progressive stance and influenced by the post-Vatican II era, is poised to make a comeback under the leadership of the current Archbishop of Paris. Following its closure by the former archbishop over two years ago due to co-management issues, the community released a statement on Read more
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) says its support for the Church in Ukraine topped €9.5 million last year. The Catholic charity’s 2022 annual accounts show almost 10 percent of its aid went to support 353 vital projects in Ukraine. Some of that was spent on internally displaced persons (IDPs). Ukranian Bishop Yosafat Hovera Read more
In a display of creativity, faith and resilience, ‘resting’ Catholics in Vietnam are making a spiritual resurgence. This is despite facing government restrictions on religious activities. These people have begun returning, seeking solace and reconnecting with their religious roots. Over the past decade, Vietnam has experienced a decline in religious practice, with a significant number Read more
With the headline “In fuga per forza“ [In flight through force], L’Osservatore Romano devoted the most prominent front-page coverage in its June 14 edition to a UN report on the rising number of victims of forced displacement. “At the end of 2022, 108.4 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, Read more
Pope Francis has sent a letter to the president of Bolivia expressing “feelings of shame and dismay” and a firm promise to work with the government of the South American country to end clerical sexual abuse of minors. The letter, released Friday according to the Associated Press but signed on May 31 and addressed to Read more
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops voted on Friday (June 16) to amend its directives for US Catholic health care organisations, setting in motion a process that could bar Catholic hospitals and other church-affiliated institutions from providing gender-affirming treatment to transgender people. The vote occurred during the USCCB’s spring meeting in Orlando. It passed via Read more
A powerful message of hope from Pope Francis during the height of the pandemic, will be transmitted from space thanks to a satellite launched from the Californian Vandenberg Space Base. The pope’s message, delivered from a desolate St Peter’s Square in March 2020, emphasises the need for unity and resilience in facing adversity. Now, excerpts Read more
The newly appointed Archbishop of Madrid, José Cobo, has expressed his desire to “reposition the Church” in response to a rapidly changing society. “We can bring the capacity or the desire to reposition the Church within our world. Perhaps in different ways, with other languages,” Cobo stated. After his installation on July 8, Cobo said Read more
In an ongoing liturgy language dispute, a southern Indian state’s top court has dismissed an appeal by a Catholic bishop challenging the jurisdiction of a civil court on Catholic religious matters. The Karnataka court ruling granted lay Catholics the right to sue their local diocese regarding the use of language during Mass and other forms Read more
MasterChef Spain’s 11th season saw a Dominican friar stirring both people and food in the famous culinary show. Throughout the competition, Fr Marcos García showed up in his Dominican habit, with his rosary, offering blessings. In the past, the Church built institutions, he says. Now we have to go to people, to have a Church Read more