Five men beheaded by Saudi Arabia were gay, according to a confession heard by the Sharia law court. The country sparked outrage several days ago for the mass execution of 37 men, who were mainly minority Shia Muslims. Human rights groups have complained that confessions of terrorism and spying for Iran were obtained through torture. Read more
World
Over 2,613 people in Canada euthanased in 10 months
Thursday, May 2nd, 2019Over one percent (2,613 people) of all deaths last year in Canada were the result of euthanasia, a new government report has revealed. The Fourth Interim Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada, released this month by Health Canada, showed that from January to October of 2018, a total of 2,613 people in Canada Read more
Pope’s plan to reform Vatican Curia
Monday, April 29th, 2019
A new apostolic constitution for the Roman Curia which will shake up church’s central administration is almost ready to be published. Pope Francis and the council of cardinals propose all activity in the Roman Curia should be united under a simple mission: evangelisation. The new constitution, “Praedicate Evangelium” (“Preach the Gospel”), is expected to set Read more
Notre Dame – the fast-track to restoration
Monday, April 29th, 2019
The French government’s aim to fast-track Notre Dame’s restoration has gained impetus, with a bill designed to speed up the famous cathedral’s reconstruction going before parliament in a few weeks. The cathedral was badly damaged in a fire on 15 April. The bill will allow the government to pass emergency orders regarding Notre Dame so Read more
Pope’s answers offer hope to millions of gay believers
Monday, April 29th, 2019
A gay British comedian says a meeting with Pope Francis lifted his burden of guilt and feelings of not belonging – and perhaps those of millions of gay believers across the world. Stephen K. Amos was on the BBC2 show Pilgrimage: The Road To Rome, which followed eight celebrities as they travelled a section of Read more
Mass cancelled in Sri Lanka
Monday, April 29th, 2019
Mass in Sri Lanka is cancelled indefinitely and churches closed. The closures follow a series of church and hotel bombings at Easter which killed over 250 people. The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said church officials had seen a leaked security document describing Catholic churches and other denominations as a major target for attackers. Read more
Pope donates half-a-million to US border migrants
Monday, April 29th, 2019
Pope Francis has donated $500,000 to Mexico-based projects to help migrant communities. The funds will be distributed between 27 projects associated with 16 Mexican dioceses and congregations. All of them have asked for help to continue providing food, lodging and other basic necessities to those fleeing their home countries through Mexico. “In recent months, thousands Read more
Priest’s trial for violating confessional postponed
Monday, April 29th, 2019A long-awaited ecclesiastical trial for a priest who allegedly broke the seal of confession to inform members of a controversial lay group in Italy of a police investigation of their leader for sexual abuse of minors has been postponed indefinitely. The decision has not played well with alleged victims of the group and their families. Read more
Churches reconcile at Easter in Bougainville
Monday, April 29th, 2019Churches in Papua New Guinea’s autonomous region of Bougainville marked Easter with a major reconciliation and unification ceremony in Arawa. The Post Courier reports that church leaders acknowledged that after arriving in the region a hundred years ago, different denominations had created division among the people. This disunity continued on through the crisis years of Read more
Catholic Archbishop calls for Fijians to be servants of peace
Monday, April 29th, 2019Jesus’ message of peace should be used as a guide by politicians and ordinary people to avoid a repeat of Fiji’s past political violence, Catholic Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva has urged in his Easter message. Easter was not only about the body of Jesus coming back to life, but also about the peace Read more