In an op-ed published by the New York Times on Thanksgiving, Pope Francis defended some of the social distancing restrictions that have been enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Francis applauded governments that have been “acting decisively to protect health and to save lives” by “imposing strict measures to contain the outbreak.” And some Read more
World
Washington Cardinal will allow Biden Holy Communion
Thursday, November 26th, 2020
Cardinal-designate Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, says he wants to collaborate where possible with the Biden administration. At the same time, he says he’ll also respectfully point out situations where President-elect Joe Biden’s policies diverge from Catholic teaching. “I have always seen myself as someone who is charged with being in dialogue and in conversation, Read more
State’s only all-Vietnamese Catholic parish celebrates 20 years
Thursday, November 26th, 2020
A Catholic Vietnamese community in the small Mississippi city of Biloxi has just celebrated the first 20 years of having its own church in its own parish. The Vietnamese Martyrs Church is the state’s only all-Vietnamese Catholic parish. Last Sunday hundreds gathered for celebrations at the church, filling a building that has always been a Read more
Prayer apps: user data not secure
Thursday, November 26th, 2020
Pray.com data has been ‘leaked’ without owners’ knowledge and Muslim Pro prayer app location data has been on-sold to companies who passed the information to U.S. military contractors, separate reports say. An investigation published by Vice News found that Muslim Pro was among hundreds of smartphone apps that have been providing their users’ location data Read more
Dutch doctors to sedate ‘agitated’ euthanasia patients
Thursday, November 26th, 2020
Dutch doctors are now permitted to sedate euthanasia patients if there is a chance they could “become agitated” as a doctor prepares to end their life. The policy was updated by the Euthanasia Review Committee and applies to patients who have dementia or a similar condition. The revised policies state that for dementia patients “it Read more
Chinese hackers impersonate Catholic news outlets for gain
Thursday, November 26th, 2020
Chinese hackers are again suspected of exposing Vatican internet security. Cyberscoop reports hackers posed as UCANews.com journalists in order to gain an advantage for China in negotiations with the Holy See. Researchers at the security firm Recorded Future first identified hackers affiliated with a group called Mustang Panda in July. The hacker group was conducting Read more
Ardern an example of a successful leader Pope says
Thursday, November 26th, 2020
In his new book Let Us Dream, Pope Francis recognises the success of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. “The countries with women as presidents or prime ministers have on the whole reacted better and more quickly than others, making decisions swiftly and communicating them with empathy,” he says. By way of Read more
Berlin ‘House of One’ promotes ecumenism between Christians, Muslims and Jews
Thursday, November 26th, 2020According to the leaders of the ‘House of One’ project, the aim is to “make tangible that religions can be an asset – putting a model of a peaceful coexistence opposed to all atrocities committed in the name of religion.” The ecumenical project has not only received the support from personal donors and private companies Read more
China slams Pope Francis over remark on Uighur minority in book
Thursday, November 26th, 2020China has criticised Pope Francis over a passage in his new book in which he mentions the suffering of China’s Uighur Muslim minority group, saying his remarks have “no factual basis at all.” “People of all ethnic groups enjoy the full rights of survival, development, and freedom of religious belief,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Read more