People dying alone during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic were the focus of Pope Francis’s prayers in his Mass on Tuesday. Francis dedicated the Mass to people dying alone or who have already died, saying: “Today we pray for the deceased who have died because of the pandemic. “They have died alone, without the caresses of Read more
Cardinal George Pell has expressed surprise at some of the views about his actions after being severely criticised by the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Pell says the Commission’s views “are not supported by the evidence”. The Commission’s findings were made public in 2017. However, a court redacted the report Read more
Dozens of paving stones made from Jewish gravestones have been found during redevelopment work in Prague’s tourist district, confirming speculation that the former communist regime raided synagogues and graveyards for building materials. Tuesday’s discovery came in the opening phase of a £10.6m facelift project in the city’s landmark Wenceslas Square, scene of the some of Read more
The 2016 election highlighted Donald Trump’s successful courtship of white evangelicals. This year, much of the focus could be on Catholics. The presidential campaigns are fighting for votes in the Catholic-rich Midwestern states, and the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, is himself a Catholic. “You could view it as the ultimate swing constituency in the Read more
After nearly two months of not hearing church choirs singing hymns due to Covid-19 restrictions, Samoans piled into church buildings Sunday morning in unusually large numbers. The streets were again whitewashed with flashy Sunday best attire. Inside one church in Apia, there was initial trepidation as parishioners looked around to see who would be the Read more
In Pakistan, descendants of lower-caste Hindus who converted to Christianity centuries ago still find themselves marginalized, relegated to dirty jobs and grim fates. Before Jamshed Eric plunges deep below Karachi’s streets to clean out clogged sewers with his bare hands, he says a little prayer to Jesus to keep him safe. The work is grueling, Read more
Many Catholic bishops are discussing the practical aspects of resuming public Masses, now the initial coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown restrictions are easing. One of their concerns is what to do about distributing communion, which is considered a “high risk of contagion” moment. Cardinal Robert Sarah, (pictured) who is the head of the Vatican’s liturgical office, has Read more
The Pope’s charity is helping transgender sex workers left without income due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown. It all started two weeks ago, when a trans woman asked Fr Andrea Conocchia for help. He gave her food and basic supplies from the care packages. The day after, the woman returned with a friend – then Read more
Dementia patients in the Netherlands may be legally euthanised. On April 22 the country’s highest court approved euthanising those who cannot express their wishes, so long as they have left an advance request in writing to say they wished to die. The ruling comes after the court heard a case of a woman who resisted Read more
Bishops in Nazi Germany have been criticised by the Catholic bishops in their commemoration of the upcoming 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. In a statement, they said the Catholic bishops under the Nazi regime did not oppose the war of annihilation started by Germany or the crimes the regime committed. They Read more