A new study shows the Catholic church is flourishing beyond expectations in Asia with ordinations well in excess of international averages. As an example, although there are only 750,000 Catholics in Myanmar, the Church in the Southeast Asian country ordained 83 new priests last year. At the same time, only 19 new priests were ordained Read more
In a scene more bizarre than any of this conspiracy theories, Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to be his 22-year-old daughter’s godfather. “Does she want to become an Orthodox Christian?” Putin said when Stone suggested the idea during a sit-down in Moscow on June 19. “We’ll make her that [Orthodox],” Stone Read more
The appointment of Matteo Bruni, a British-born layman, marks a new era for the Vatican press office. Pope Francis on Thursday tapped a long-time logistics coordinator to serve as the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, ending the interim appointment of Alessandro Gisotti, effective Monday, July 22. Gisotti will now be vice-Editorial Read more
Local authorities in Paris stressed Thursday that lead contamination from the fire at Notre-Dame cathedral posed no danger to the public after claims in a media report that pollution in local schools had been covered up. Environmental groups warned soon after the disaster that 300 tonnes of lead in the roof of the Paris landmark Read more
The Ukraine government has passed new sex abuse legislation that clears the way for paedophiles to be chemically castrated, jailed for lengthier periods and monitored for life. The castration process – which is confined to offenders aged between 18 and 65 – will involve “coercive chemical castration” by injecting anti-androgen drugs to reduce libido and Read more
In an effort to expand the Vatican’s green environmental stance, the city state has decided not to sell any single-use plastic items after its current supplies run out. Single-use plastic include bags, water bottles, cutlery, straws and balloons. The top five single-use plastic items polluting Europe are cigarette butts, bottles and caps, food packaging, cotton Read more
The largest independent social services agency in the District of Columbia (DC) region, Catholic Charities, is about to build DC’s biggest ground-based solar array. Once built, Catholic Charities says the 2-megawatt array will be the biggest project approved in DC. The project’s benefits look promising. Consisting of 5,000-plus panels, the array will provide enough renewable Read more
Social media giant Facebook ran into determined opposition after describing a St Augustine quote as “hate speech” and removing it from its site. Domenico Bettinelli, a pro-life activist from Massachusetts, immediately wrote a blog post about Facebook taking down the Divine Office passage. Facebook had said it took it down because it violated Facebook’s “Community Read more
The Chaldean Catholic Patriarch is concerned rising tensions between the United States and Iran could see Iraq caught in the middle of a potential conflict. Cardinal Louis Sako says it has also made a proposed visit by Pope Francis to Iraq next year uncertain. Sako also says Iraq’s Christians are struggling. Their ancestral lands were Read more
The Dominicans, one of the most prominent religious orders in the Catholic Church, have elected the first Asian leader in their 800-year history. Fr Gerard Timoner OP, who comes from the Philippines, was chosen as the 88th Master of the Order of Preachers on 13 July 2019. The election took place during a gathering of Read more