A same-sex couple’s successful quest for a priest who would name them both as their son’s mothers on his baptismal record is stirring controversy in Colombia. Colombian couple Manuela and Luisa Fernanda Gómez, who are civilly married, visited several parishes before they found a willing pastor to name them both as their son Matias’s mothers. Read more
Syria continues to suffer deadly government-initiated airstrikes in its rebel-held north-west, while ordinary citizens bear the brunt of the carnage. Syrian opposition activists and a war monitor say five people died and 21 were wounded on Sunday as the government continued its air campaign against the region. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war Read more
An eco-option for excess churches could be to repurpose them for ecological uses. Small congregations could cluster together instead of being dispersed over a number of buildings, says Dr Kevin Hargaden of Dublin’s Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. “The buildings that don’t get used, I think can get repurposed. Again, that’s an opportunity for Read more
Archbishop Peter Comensoli has been accused of censorship after he stopped a nun from speaking at an upcoming conference. Comensoli, the Archbishop of Melbourne, initially sought to say the rescinding of an invitation to Sister Joan Chittister, a US author, feminist and advocate of church reform, was a misunderstanding. He suggested Joan had been sounded Read more
Reports suggesting no girls have been born in 132 villages in the small Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in the last three months are being investigated. About 400,000 people live in the state’s 550 villages and five towns. Some say the reason for the gender imbalance is clear. “No girl child was born for three months Read more
New legislation in Oregon shortens an initial waiting period for some persons seeking assisted suicide, allowing them to receive quicker access to life-ending drugs. Governor Kate Brown signed SB 579 into law July 23. The bill had passed the Senate in May and the House of Representatives in June. If the terminally ill patient has Read more
Australian artist Scott Marsh says he was disappointed to hear his mural of convicted child sex offender and former archbishop George Pell had been painted over – but he wasn’t surprised. “Given the history of some of my other works with religious themes it lasted longer than I thought it might, to be honest,” he Read more
A forest fire in northern Israel that threatened a church where Christians believe the transfiguration of Jesus took place was extinguished without the shrine being damaged, firefighters said Sunday. The fire on Mount Tabor, where the Basilica of the Transfiguration is located, broke out Thursday and had been put out late Friday, but “small fires Read more
Prince Harry is championing global conservation with environmental projects aiming to create a more sustainable future. His upcoming environmental project is a community-based initiative which will be launched alongside a new Sussex Royal charity in September. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, says his first target will be eliminating single-use plastics. He joined young leaders from Read more
In a hand-delivered letter, Pope Francis told Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad he is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in northern Syria’s Idlib region which has been the target of Russian-backed airstrikes since April. He also asked for the safe return of the millions of people displaced by years of fighting, information for the families Read more