Pope Francis called on Sunday for dialogue to end the conflict in Afghanistan so that its people can live in peace, security and reciprocal respect. Francis made the appeal in his noon address as Taliban insurgents entered the capital Kabul and the United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter. “I join in the Read more
World
Abuser priests could face lifelong detention
Thursday, August 12th, 2021
Voluntary lifelong detention in church-run houses could be the best way of dealing with priest abusers, says child protection expert, Fr Hans Zollner SJ. Zollner, who is the president of the Centre for Child Protection (CCP) at the Gregorian University says it’s all-important to control and guide sex abusers and “to define exactly what they Read more
Priest’s guest murders his host
Thursday, August 12th, 2021
A Rwandan immigrant on bail for the arson of the Nantes cathedral has turned himself in for killing the French provincial of the Montfort Missionaries. Emmanuel Abayisenga, who has confessed to Father Olivier Maire’s murder, had been released on bail earlier this year for the 2020 arson at Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral in Nantes, Read more
Pope gets Covid-19 digital certificate
Thursday, August 12th, 2021
Pope Francis has downloaded the Green Pass, a digital certificate showing the holder has been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from Covid-19. The Green Pass is not needed to attend Mass or religious ceremonies. But, it is required for non-religious events held indoors. The pontiff reportedly received assistance in downloading the health passport due to Read more
Berlin archbishop to name minister for LBGTQ community
Thursday, August 12th, 2021
Archbishop Heiner Koch will appoint a pastoral minister as a contact person for the LBGTQ community, the Berlin Archdiocese has announced. According to the German Catholic news agency KNA, Koch made the pledge when he met with the Lesbian and Gay Association of Berlin-Brandenburg (LSVD) representatives. The archbishop said this was important so that the Read more
Italians reduce tax donations to Catholic Church
Thursday, August 12th, 2021
Italians are choosing to contribute their tax tithes to state charities, in doing so they are reducing funding to the Catholic Church. Since the 1980s, the main source of revenue for Italy’s Catholic Church has been the “8×1000,” or the “eight per thousand”. This is a share of personal income tax that the state distributes Read more
Letter with three bullets sent to Pope
Thursday, August 12th, 2021
Italian police have identified the person who sent an envelope with three bullets in it to Pope Francis. The envelope did not reach the pontiff, however, as it was intercepted in Milan on Sunday night. Police say the unnamed suspect is a French citizen “already known to Vatican security, with whom the Carabinieri of Milan Read more
Sri Lanka holds mass cremations as Covid cases surge
Thursday, August 12th, 2021Sri Lanka has begun mass cremations to clear a backlog of bodies as Covid-19 cases surge across the island. Daily virus infections in the country have doubled in a month to more than 2,500 with nearly 100 deaths, putting huge strain on hospitals. Colombo Municipality began mass cremations on Aug. 8, disposing of 15 corpses Read more
Catholic Church in Thailand converts facilities into field hospitals for COVID-19 patients
Thursday, August 12th, 2021Catholic dioceses and parishes in Thailand, which continues to witness a surge in COVID-19 cases, have been converting church facilities into field hospitals and isolation centers. The Archdiocese of Bangkok in the financial capital of the Southeast Asian country has turned over to the government a Catholic school that has been converted into a 630-bed Read more
Eight-year-old becomes youngest person charged with blasphemy in Pakistan
Thursday, August 12th, 2021An eight-year-old Hindu boy is being held in protective police custody in east Pakistan after becoming the youngest person ever to be charged with blasphemy in the country. The boy’s family is in hiding and many of the Hindu community in the conservative district of Rahim Yar Khan, in Punjab, have fled their homes after Read more