Pope Francis has told Catholic youth not to be afraid to make mistakes when on mission. He made the comment last weekend when speaking to the young people gathered for the “Hechos 29” youth conference in Mexico. “I never tire of repeating that I prefer a church that is wounded because it goes out to Read more
Authorities said Singapore hanged two drug traffickers on Friday, despite international calls for the city-state to abolish capital punishment. This brings the number of prisoners executed in the last four months to 10. The spate of hangings included, in April, the widely criticised execution of a man with limited cognitive function. It came after Singapore Read more
A gunman shot at a Denver-area Catholic church in separate early morning incidents on Saturday and Monday. No one was hurt, but one estimate suggests the gunshots caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Parish staff stressed the need to pray for the perpetrator and emphasised they are taking the utmost security precautions. “We Read more
A parish in Indonesia has issued an apology after a video in which the choir sang pop songs during Mass sparked widespread condemnation from Catholics. In a statement, St Francis of Assisi Parish in Lamahora, Larantuka diocese of East Nusa Tenggara, said the context of the Mass was the inauguration of the caretaker of young Read more
Riot police from the Nicaraguan military blocked the bishop of Matagalpa, José Álvarez Lagos, and six other priests from leaving the diocesan offices to celebrate Mass on Thursday 4 August. “I wanted to leave for the cathedral to do the holy hour, the holy Mass, but obviously the higher authorities haven’t given permission, we are Read more
The UK’s National Health Service controversial child transgender clinic will shut its doors after a damning report found it was ‘not safe’ for children. The closure comes in response to an ongoing review led by senior paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, who warned the gender clinic was ‘not a safe or viable long-term option’. Trans-medicine is Read more
A bishop has suggested that Catholic priests in the Mexican state of Guerrero could avoid being victims of violence by wearing religious dress. Bishop Jesús González Hernández of Chilpancingo-Chilapa diocese explained that the use of Roman collars or cassocks could identify priests, so they would not be targeted in error. A recent report by the Read more
The Archdiocese of Melbourne indicated it wants to rely on the “Ellis defence” to be excused from a civil damages case involving Cardinal George Pell. The Ellis defence emerged from a 2007 NSW Court of Appeal judgement that prevented an abuse survivor from suing the Church because it was not a legal entity. Survivors have Read more
The Vatican’s £124m investment property deal with a British financier will be scrutinised by the English Courts. It will be the first time in the Vatican’s 2,000 year history it has had to appear before UK judges. Some are calling it the trial of the century. The issue involves a complex land deal in London Read more