The Nazis stole thousands of artworks from museums and castles in Poland during World War II. Many have been lost forever. But some of the looted pieces are now being repatriated. One of these has been returned by Ulrich Gauer, whose grandfather was with the occupying German army in Poland during the second world war. Read more
German immigration policies have seen left and right wing groups clashing in sometimes violent protests in several major cities. Thousands of people rallied on Sunday to demand the country help with missions to rescue migrants stranded at sea. The demonstrations, organised by a range of Catholic and Protestant civic groups, were part of a Europe-wide Read more
On Sunday, Father Federico Lombardi and Father Thomas Rosica issued a joint statement disputing one of the claims Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò made in his recently published letter. Their statement is based on a hand-written record of a meeting they had with Viganò. Lombardi is the former director of the Holy See Press Office and Read more
American Archbishop Charles Chaput is asking Pope Francis to cancel the youth synod set for this October. The synod will gather bishops from around the world to discuss matters about “young people, the faith and vocational discernment.” “I have written the Holy Father and called on him to cancel the upcoming synod on young people. Read more
Some Kenyan priests have given up their vows of chastity, have married and have formed a new church. The Renewed Universal Catholic Church has more than 15 former Catholic priests who have married. It has dioceses throughout Kenya. Read more
Ampleforth College has appointed its first female principal, Deirdre Rowe, to lead the school. Ampleforth’s trustees say the leadership of the independent boarding school should revert to a lay-person. It said Ms Rowe, who takes over from current Headmaster, Fr Wulstan Peterburs, will balance academic standards with pastoral care and will focus on ensuring that Read more
John McCain “is an American hero who served his country with the utmost admiration in both the Navy and the U.S. Senate. “His patriotism and dedicated service will long be remembered for generations to come,” a statement from the Bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference begins. “Although he will be remembered by all Americans, we Read more
Reports that Benedict XVI confirmed some of Archbishop Carlo Viganò’s claims about a cover-up of ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s abuse of seminarians are “fake news.” Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who is the prefect of the papal household for Pope Francis, says Pope-emeritus Benedict “has not commented” on an 11-page letter from Viganò, which was released by the Read more
The response to the publication of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s letter has followed a predictable trajectory. It reveals what John Cornwell, writing in Vanity Fair, calls an internecine battle raging between the conservative “neats” and liberal “scruffies” within the Catholic Church. Many of them are using the letter as a weapon to further their cause. A clerical Read more
Russian hackers have spent years trying to steal private correspondence from some of the world’s most senior Orthodox Christians, the Associated Press (AP) says. The hackers, known as Fancy Bear, have targeted top aides to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who is the spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians. Batholomew himself does not Read more