Secular groups have praised some of the decisions Joe Biden has made. But, they are concerned the administration’s idea of interfaith outreach may tend to exclude nonbelievers. Non-religious groups have celebrated several of the new President’s actions. These include rescinding a ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military; rejoining the Paris climate accords; Read more
Pope Francis will meet the Shia leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani during the first-ever Papal visit to Iraq. The meeting between Francis, the global leader of the Catholic Church, and al-Sistani, the highest religious authority of Iraqi Shi’ism, is due to take place in the city of Najaf. The pope will also visit the cities Read more
Pope Francis spoke of his solidarity with the people of Myanmar and appealed to its leaders to show willingness to serve the common good “promoting social justice and national stability”. Myanmar is “a nation that I carry in my heart with much affection, ever since my apostolic visit there in 2017,” he said after the Read more
The Focolare Movement has elected Margaret Karram, an Arab Catholic who was born in Israel, to a six-year term as its new president. The election of the 58-year-old consecrated lay woman was announced on February 1 during an online general assembly spanning from January 24 to February 7. Some 359 representatives cast their ballots on Read more
The death of a six-week-old baby hours after a baptism ceremony in Romania has prompted an Orthodox archbishop to say such rituals will be analysed to avoid further tragedy. The baby had a cardiac arrest after he was immersed three times in holy water. He had a violent death and liquid was found in his Read more
Vatican Radio will launch a 24-hour web radio to mark its 90th anniversary on Friday. The web radio, debuting Feb. 12, will make Vatican Radio broadcasts available over the internet in English, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Armenian. The broadcasts will also be available via the Radio Vaticana app. Vatican Radio already transmits via Read more
Europe’s oldest person, French nun Sister Andre, has survived Covid-19 and will celebrate her 117th birthday tomorrow, her caregivers said. Lucile Randon, who took the name of Sister Andre when she joined a Catholic charitable order in 1944, tested positive for coronavirus in her retirement home in Toulon, southern France, on 16 January. She was Read more
A proposed law before Victoria’s state parliament seeks to criminalise any practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including prayer. Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli said any coercive practice “is an affront to human dignity.” He said he firmly rejects such harmful acts but added that “nobody is protected Read more
Pope Francis says the Christmas season provides a reason for hope during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. During his Sunday blessing this week, Francis commented that the Vatican’s Christmas tree – itself a symbolic reason for hope – went up last week in St. Peter’s Square. Work is also underway to build the life-size Nativity scene Read more
Pope Francis has revamped the Vatican financial watchdog to establish “supervision aimed at the prevention and countering of money laundering and the financing of terrorism.” Under the pope’s plan, the agency will be split into three parts, the Vatican said on Saturday. They are vigilance, rules and legal affairs, and financial information. The Vatican’s Financial Read more