Vulnerable minors are at greater risk of sex-predators’ online grooming says Fr Hans Zollner SJ of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. He says the increased screen time and isolation due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is putting young people at greater risk than usual. As a result of the pandemic, almost every Read more
Vandals have defaced a Black Madonna mosaic representing Our Lady of Częstochowa in the southern-Netherlands’ city of Breda. They also daubed the letters “BLM” beneath it. Breda’s mayor, Paul Depla, says the incident is “particularly sad for the Polish community, for which the monument is of great value”. The image of Our Lady of Częstochowa Read more
Pope Francis is praising heroic medical staff and priests who contributed so greatly, often under difficult circumstances, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown. Last Saturday he welcomed Italy’s front-line medical and civil protection personnel from the coronavirus-ravaged region of Lombardy to the Vatican to thank them for their selfless work and “heroic” sacrifice. Their example of Read more
The Catholic bishops of California have defended Saint Junipero Serra after statues of the saint were torn down both in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He was “ahead of his time” in defending the rights of indigenous peoples,” they say. Those who called for statues of him to be removed or torn down “failed the Read more
Jean Kennedy Smith, a diplomat, humanitarian and author and the last surviving sibling of the late President John F. Kennedy, died on June 17 at her home in Manhattan. She was 92. President Bill Clinton nominated her to serve as ambassador to Ireland in 1993, and she held the post until 1998. When he nominated Read more
The Diocese of Hong Kong has signed an open letter to the Chinese government demanding that controversial new security laws being imposed by the mainland be pulled back. The letter, which was signed by 86 human rights and social justice organizations including the diocese’s Justice and Peace Commission, was addressed to Li Zhanshu, chairman of Read more
Malaysia will not allow foreign workers to take any new jobs in the country until the end of the year to help unemployed citizens find new work, the government has announced. “We are trying to reduce [the number of] foreign workers in the workforce besides giving priority to locals to secure jobs,” Human Resources Minister Read more
The Vatican has praised a Philippine diocese for becoming the first in the entire Catholic Church to adopt renewable energy. Vatican officials have released a document offering a guide for Catholics on how to take care of the earth as God’s creation and man’s “common home,” citing the diocese’s response to Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Read more
A new Catholic personal parish for Pittsburgh’s black community has been announced by Bishop David Zubik. According to the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, “a personal parish is a parish that responds to specific spiritual needs often related to a particular culture or an extraordinary need” and anyone who wishes to be a part of that Read more
Cardinal Robert Sarah says he will continue to serve as the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, even though his is now over 75 years old. Bishops must submit their resignation to the pope when they turn 75. Sarah celebrated his 75th birthday on 15 June. Two days later on June 17 in a Read more