Pope Francis has appointed a commissioner to investigate St Peter’s Basilica in Rome’s management body, the Fabbrica di San Pietro. Electronic devices and documents have been taken from the offices of the Fabbrica following a report by the Holy See’s auditor, in what could look like an investigation into financial irregularities. However, the Holy See Read more
Turning Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia back into a mosque would be divisive, says Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is the Patriarch of the world’s Orthodox Christians. At present the fate of the building, that has been a museum since 1934, rests on an upcoming Turkish court ruling. President Tayyip Erdogan proposed restoring the mosque status of the Read more
China’s rubber-stamp parliament’s inner sanctum today passed the sweeping Hong Kong security law that has split the city’s Catholic hierarchy. The new law will give Beijing the power over security matters in the city state, effectively breaking open the “one country, two systems” framework that was supposed to run until 2047, posing a threat to Read more
A print of a Black Jesus painting will be installed in one of Britain’s oldest churches as a tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement. The painting is a version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”, with Jesus recast as a black prophet. Called “A Last Supper,” the reinterpretation of the original 15th-century artwork Read more
The Church in Colombia is likely to be bankrupt by August, the Archbishop of Bogota, Luis José Rueda, says. The financial crisis is a direct result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has caused chaos in Colombia’s healthcare system. Rueda says “three months of zero income and 100 per cent of expenses” will cause diocesan Read more
Carlo Acutis, a 15 year old Italian schoolboy who died of leukemia in 2006, may well become the protector of web surfers, according to Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. “That’s my hope — he would be an ideal example for all young people,” said Becciu. As Acutis’ Read more
Georg Ratzinger, the older brother of the former Pope Benedict, died Wednesday morning, aged 96. He had been hospitalized in Regensburg, the city where he lived the greater part of his long life. The two brothers – one a musician and kappellmeister of a famous choir, the other first a theologian and then a bishop, Read more
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that states violate the Constitution if they prevent religious schools from receiving some state benefits that are available to other schools. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the 5-4 ruling, which further lowered the wall of separation between the church and the state and will likely affect laws and constitutional decisions Read more
Los Angeles Archbishop José Gómez has warned that statues of St Junipero Serra, the “Apostle of California”, will need to be relocated to protect them from desecration. One statue, in San Francisco, has already been toppled. As the church prepares to celebrate his feast day tomorrow, the Archbishop asked Catholics to invoke the intercession of Read more
Israel has decided to remove the U.S.-based evangelical Christian station GOD TV from the Israeli cable television provider HOT due to claims that it was trying to evangelize Jews. Asher Biton, chairman of Israel’s Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council, said he told the station last Thursday that it has seven days to halt broadcasting. The Read more