American Samoa is celebrating. Particularly the Catholic Church. For the first time, the Pope has chosen a local priest to be bishop of the Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago. Father Kolio Etuale (49) is the Chancellor and Parish Priest of Holy Family Parish Tafuna. He will initially be the Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese. When Bishop Read more
The number of legal abortions in Poland decreased by 90% in 2021 following a court ruling that banned abortion in the case of a fetal medical diagnosis such as Down syndrome. According to a report by the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, data from the Ministry of Health shows that the number of legal abortions in the Read more
Pope Francis met Bishop Anthony, the second most influential leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, on Friday ahead of an expected summit next month with its Patriarch Kirill, who supports the war in Ukraine. It was their first meeting since Anthony’s predecessor, Hilarion, was ousted in June in an abrupt decision indicating discord at the Read more
New lineages of the Omicron Covid variant, like BA.4 and BA.5, are helping to spark a wave of reinfections as people who previously caught Covid-19 contract Covid again. Now the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tracking a new “variant of concern”: BA.4.6. This week, the CDC included the BA.4 spinoff in Read more
The government of Nicaragua has ordered the closure of seven Catholic radio stations linked to a bishop who has been critical of the country’s president, Daniel Ortega. Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who serves as the radio’s coordinator and leads the remote northern Matagalpa diocese, announced the closures on Monday. Álvarez said he had received a letter Read more
Gay sex is a sin. The leader of the global Anglican church has come out with it and in so doing has affirmed “the validity” of a 1998 declaration. Questioning biblical teaching is “unthinkable” for “a large majority” of conservative Anglicans, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced at the ten-yearly Lambeth conference. “In many countries, Read more
Pope Francis is preparing the public for his stepping down in 2025, by constantly talking about his ill health and possible resignation, according to a Vatican expert. Robert Mickens is the editor of the Roman Catholic newspaper La Croix International. He has lived, studied and worked in Rome for 30 years. Mickens told inews he Read more
A Sri Lankan priest has asked for Supreme Court protection. Fr Amila Jeewantha Peirism is asking for the Court’s protection to safeguard his fundamental rights and prevent his arrest. He has been a key figure during Sri Lanka’s anti-government protests. The priest says as a responsible citizen he actively participated in the peaceful anti-government struggle, Read more
Hundreds of Hong Kong Catholics have participated in a jump rope charity event to raise funds for the construction and maintenance of Church-run buildings and cemeteries in the city. The diocese needs to raise a total of HK$1 billion for development activities. The Hong Kong Diocesan Fundraising Commission for Church Building and Development organised the Read more
Parishes and priests will have to be more flexible as change is inevitable, says the Bishop of Cork and Ross Fitan Gavin (pictured). He says there will have to be changes in how priests minister to parishes with more lay people taking on great responsibilities. Priests will share parishes, he says. Right now the Catholic Read more