Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, 93, left the Vatican for the first time last week since his 2013 resignation. Benedict went to visit his older seriously ill brother, Msgr Georg Ratzinger who is being cared for in his home. The Vatican says the Emeritus Pope’s visit was “purely private” and he would stay in the Bavarian Read more
In what is being described as an epidemic of Catholic schools’ closures, the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has hit Catholic education hard. To date, more than 100 US elementary and high schools have announced they are closing down. The Catholic schools’ closures are affecting parish schools and those run by religious orders. “It’s not a pretty Read more
The Pope’s schedule for 2020 does not include any trips abroad, the Vatican has announced. His zero-trip 2020 is very different from the way he spent 2019: then, Francis – who is in his eighties – made a record seven international trips to eleven different countries. “At the present time, and in view of the Read more
Turkish Catholic bishops have pledged not to contest plans to turn Istanbul’s ancient Hagia Sophia cathedral that now serves as a museum into a Muslim place of worship. In announcing their decision June 18, the bishops backed government claims that the monument’s future is a question of national sovereignty. “We are a church deprived of Read more
Cardinal George Pell is set to publish his prison diary musing on life in solitary confinement, the Catholic Church, politics and sports. Catholic publisher Ignatius Press says the first instalment of the 1000-page diary would likely be published in 2021. Ignatius’ editor the Rev Joseph Fessio sent a letter to email subscribers asking for donations, Read more
A statue of Catholic missionary St. Junipero Serra was toppled in a San Francisco park Friday, along with statues of Francis Scott Key and Ulysses S. Grant. The statues were torn down Friday evening from Golden Gate Park, by a group of about 100 people. During the eighteenth century, the saint founded nine Catholic missions Read more
For Religious Freedom Week 2020, the U.S. Catholic bishops are highlighting an unusual case—a Texas chapel that could be demolished or cut off by construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall. The historic La Lomita Chapel in Mission, Texas, built in 1865 and owned by the Diocese of Brownsville, is administered by the nearby Our Lady Read more
A Catholic composer is denying a group’s allegations of sexual misconduct and spiritual manipulation. The group – known as Into Account Inc. allege David Haas (63) engaged in “a repeated, unethical abuse of the professional and spiritual power he has had in church music circles”. He targeted “multiple women using techniques that abuse prevention experts Read more
Approaching history with openness and balance will help the UK to avoid tensions surrounding race in the future, says Cardinal Vincent Nichols. The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales says the way people learn about the past needs an overhaul. Nichols says he has “spent time listening to people” and learned that Read more
The communist government in China is increasing measures to repress religions, including its mass detention of people. These and other measures to repress religions are part of China’s accelerated sinicization that clamps down on freedom of religion, according to the US State Department’s 2019 International Religious Freedom Report. The annual report released last week, says Read more