A kidnapped Christian girl in Pakistan has phoned her parents to say she is pregnant after being raped by her abductor, who has imprisoned her in one room of his house. Tabassum Yousaf, the lawyer fighting for the freedom of 15-year-old Catholic girl Huma Younus who was kidnapped in October 2019 and forced to convert Read more
World
Hard-hit Italian hospital has no more COVID-19 patients in intensive care
Monday, July 13th, 2020Staff at the Pope John XXIII hospital in Bergamo — once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy — announced they had no more patients with coronavirus in their intensive care unit. After 137 days of trying to keep critically ill patients alive, staff gathered July 8 for a moment of silence to remember Read more
Prominent lay Catholics publish new manifesto for changing Church
Thursday, July 9th, 2020
Several prominent lay Catholics in France have issued a new manifesto for change in the Church. Called “Transformer l’Église catholique” (“Changing the Catholic Church”) the 11-member group’s 56-page e-book seeks to answer the question: “What kind of Church would we like to see emerge from the ‘great trial’ we are going through?” The book’s subtitle Read more
India’s ‘George Floyd’ police officers arrested
Thursday, July 9th, 2020
Four police officers accused of two Christians’ torture and murder have been arrested. The police, from India’s southern Tamil State, allegedly tortured and killed two Christian men in custody last month. A post-mortem report and an investigation helped the court order the arrest of the accused police officers on murder charges. Church officials and rights Read more
Catholic school principals unite to oppose RE changes
Thursday, July 9th, 2020
All 84 Catholic school principals in Wales have written to the First Minister Mark Drakeford, about his Government’s proposed changes to religious education (RE). Their joint letter asks Drakeford to stop the proposed legislation on RE, which they say “specifically targets the Catholic ethos of their schools” and strikes at Catholic schools “very identity” and Read more
Vatican COVID-19 Commission speaks of threats to world peace
Thursday, July 9th, 2020
The Vatican COVID-19 Commission says a “tsunami” of humanitarian crises is threatening world peace. These crises have been caused by the coronavirus emergency, conflict and decreased security around the globe, Vatican cardinal , Peter Turkson says. Echoing Pope Francis, Turkson is calling for a global ceasefire during the pandemic. This way, assistance can safely be Read more
West Indies cricket legend pleads for education on racism
Thursday, July 9th, 2020
West Indies cricket legend, fast bowler Michael Holding, wants people to be educated on racism. Holding made his emotional plea on the morning of the opening Test between West Indies and England, illustrating his comments with examples of what black people experience. A lot of discussion on Black Lives Matter has taken place leading up Read more
Vietnam court jails Catholic blogger for eight years
Thursday, July 9th, 2020A Vietnam court has jailed an outspoken Catholic blogger, known for commenting on social issues, for allegedly trying to undermine the state. The People’s Court in Lam Dong province on July 7 sentenced Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong, 29, to eight years in jail and three years’ probation for “making, hoarding and disseminating anti-state propaganda.” The Read more
Russian court fines coronavirus-denying rebel monk
Thursday, July 9th, 2020A Russian court on Tuesday fined a coronavirus-denying monk who has challenged Kremlin lockdown orders for spreading false information about the pandemic. The court in the Ural Mountains region ordered Father Sergiy to pay 90,000 rubles ($1,250). The 65-year-old monk, who has attracted nationwide attention by urging followers to disobey church leadership and ignore church Read more
Hong Kong: Facebook and WhatsApp ‘pause’ police help
Thursday, July 9th, 2020Hong Kong’s Facebook and WhatsApp laws have drawn criticism from around the world. Several countries, including the UK, have criticised China for imposing new security laws, which they say threaten the territory’s long-standing autonomy. Facebook said it would stop considering the requests, “pending further assessment” of the human rights issues. No personal information about users Read more