Reopening a war-damaged cathedral in the Syrian city of Aleppo has provided a sliver lining for the community. The Maronite Cathedral of Saint Elijah has special significance for Maronite Catholics in the area. After lying in ruins for several years, Christmas Mass was celebrated in the cathedral in 2016 amid debris and ash. The war-damaged Read more
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has accused China of “gross and egregious” human rights abuses against its Uighurs and said sanctions against those responsible cannot be ruled out. Reports of forced sterilisation and wider persecution of the Muslim group were “reminiscent of something not seen for a long time”, he told the BBC. The UK Read more
Thirty five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and human rights organisations have called on the global Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB), based in the Netherlands, to strip Rio Tinto of its status as a global human rights leader, following the company’s blasting of a 46,000 year old Aboriginal sacred site in the Pilbara region, Western Read more
The Church in Germany received more money in church tax than ever before in 2019 despite losing a record number of members. According to official figures released Monday, the German Church received 6.76 billion euros ($7.75 billion) in 2019. This represents a increase of more than 100 million euros ($115 million) compared to 2018, when Read more
Recidivist priest Vince Ryan, 82, was paroled from jail on Tuesday after serving less than half of a three-year sentence for the historic sexual abuse of two altar boys. The Australian Catholic priest had previously served 14 years for the sexual abuse of more than 30 boys. Bishop of the Maitland – Newcastle diocese, Bill Read more
A manual to protect minors from predatory clergy has been published by the Vatican. Targeted at bishops and religious superiors conducting in-house investigations into allegations of priests who rape and molest minors and vulnerable adults, the long-awaited publication offers advice about how to handle cases of clergy sex crimes. “These documents constitute an ‘instrument’ intended Read more
A weekend fire in a French cathedral may have been started deliberately. A 39-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a fire at Nantes historic St Peter and St Paul cathedral. Nantes’ public prosecutor, Pierre Sennès, says the fire appears to have started from three different spots in the cathedral: one at the level Read more
Vandalism and arson attacks on church buildings are following protests in the US about George Floyd’s death. At least one of the arson attacks could have resulted in injury or death. A man accused of setting a Florida church on fire is now being held without bail on charges that include attempted second-degree murder and Read more
Government hackers from China are targeting Hong Kong Catholic Church leaders and clergy. The attack comes as prominent Catholic leaders in Hong Kong have been vocal in support of the pro-democracy protests. According to technology website ZDNet, a series of spear-phishing attacks have specifically targeted diocesan officials and are linked to the Chinese government. The Read more
A German archdiocese plans to convert 1,000 parishes into 40 mega parishes. The move by Archbishop Stephan Burger of Freiburg comes in the face of the Vatican blocking a similar plan in another German diocese. Burger says creating the mega parishes is an adequate response to the challenges facing our archdiocese. “At the moment, I Read more