Cardinal Richard Baawobr, bishop of Wa, Ghana, died in Rome on Sunday evening at the age of 63. The cardinal had been hospitalized for heart problems after arriving in Rome in late August, and was therefore unable to attend the Vatican ceremony at which he was elevated to the College of Cardinals Aug. 27. Baawobr Read more
Catholic activists joined by environmentalists, and civil society groups held a protest rally in the South Korean capital Seoul to urge the government to shut down the country’s latest coal power plant and enact a coal phase-out law. The Catholic Climate Action group, Catholic Creation Preservation Solidarity, and civil society groups demonstrated in front of Read more
Hundreds of homes in the Catholic village of Mon Hla in central Sagaing — the home of Cardinal Charles Bo — have been burned down by junta forces as the regime steps up attacks in Myanmar’s Bamar-majority region. Villagers said the homes were torched on Nov 24 during a raid on Mon Hla village, where Read more
The Vatican is advancing the cause for sainthood of Servant of God Hélder Câmara, Archbishop of Olinda and Recife (Brazil). He may soon be called “venerable”. Twenty-three years after his death, Câmara is one of the emblematic figures in defence of the homeless, the jobless and the landless. This wasn’t always the case though. The Read more
Very charming, very stubborn. That’s Pope Francis in a nutshell, according to one of his doctors. Following a colon operation last year, Francis has repeatedly let it be known that he did not want more surgery, and since May, Francis, 85, has frequently been seen using a wheelchair or walking stick due to his knee Read more
A common Easter date between Christians of the East and West is one of the Pope’s particular desires. He explained his views during a meeting with the U.S.-born patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East last week. “Let us have the courage to put an end to this division that at times makes us Read more
A schism with the Vatican is possible in the Syro-Malabar Catholic archdiocese in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The priests and laity are demanding a liturgy variant status to their traditional Eastern rite Syro-Malaba Mass. Regardless of the outcome, they’ll do what they think is right, even if it means splitting with the body Read more
A new study is challenging health evidence that led a worldwide choir ban during the Covid-19 pandemic. Choir practices and performances were forbidden for 18 months after a damning health report into one of the first US Covid-19 outbreaks among a church choir. Fifty-three people who attended the March 2020 choir practice developed symptoms. The Read more
Caritas leaders have been replaced with a temporary administrator after Pope Francis suspended the secretary-general, Aloysius John (pictured right). Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (pictured left), whose second term as Caritas president was to end in May, has also lost his position. Francis appointed a temporary administrator to oversee improved management policies and to prepare for Read more