The Vatican has stripped 15 of the Belgian Brothers of Charity psychiatric institutions of their Catholic status because euthanasia was permitted on their premises. Brother Rene Stockman, superior general of the Brothers of Charity, says the brothers had “no choice but to remain faithful” to their “charism of charity, which cannot be reconciled with the Read more
Cardinal Robert Sarah is implicated in a petition signed by Catholic conservatives claiming the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is an “overhyped pretext to deprive the faithful of Mass and impose a new world order”. Sarah (pictured), is head of the Vatican’s liturgy office and is supposedly the highest-ranking signatory. However, he claims he never signed the Read more
Italian authorities on Thursday (May 7) gave the go-ahead for public Masses starting May 18, after the government and Catholic bishops struggled to find an accord that would ensure safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic. A protocol allowing Catholic faithful to attend Mass was signed Thursday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte; the president of the Read more
The Catholic episcopal conference of the Antilles has appointed Bishop Clyde Harvey of St. George’s (Grenada) to lead an organizing committee for a regional synod. The bishops’ conference covers an unusual geographical area, spreading throughout the Caribbean to the Atlantic coast of South America. It includes 21 dioceses that are located in 16 countries or Read more
Economic stagnation, ongoing sanctions, food shortages and reduced funding all risk making life in a post-pandemic world more dangerous and deadly than the coronavirus itself, said the Vatican-based international network of Catholic charities. “Unfortunately, the aftershock of the pandemic” is proving to be “even more complicated and more deadly than the impact of the virus Read more
Singapore is trying a new way to get its residents to stay away from each other. On Friday, the government announced it would start deploying Spot, Boston Dynamics’ famous yellow and black canine robot, at one local park. The four-legged robot “dog” will patrol the area starting this weekend and broadcast a pre-recorded message to Read more
Over 60,000 factory workers in Myanmar have already lost their jobs since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Among them are those working in the garment factories that supply some of the world’s biggest fashion brands. The United Nations says the situation will worsen; predicting half Myanmar’s garment workers will be out of work. Read more
Closed churches are likely to become closed for good in the not-too-distant future, says Monsignor Tomas Halik. This won’t be because of outside forces like the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but because of the Church’s unwillingness to reform, he suggests. Halik says we should take notice that in many countries churches, monasteries and seminaries have been Read more
Internally displaced citizen numbers now account for over 50 million people, according to a recent study. Their needs are the focus of new guidelines Pope Francis and the Vatican have just released. “In this time of pandemic, the virus does not seem to distinguish between those who are important and those who are invisible, those Read more