A Slovakian girl who died when she was 16 will be beatified as a martyr in Slovakia, seven decades after she was shot in front of her family for resisting rape by a drunken Soviet soldier. “The story of 16-year-old Anna Kolesarova offers a strong message, of course, for the younger generation,” Archbishop Bernard Bober Read more
World
Church bells signal opening of World Meeting of Families
Thursday, August 23rd, 2018Church bells rang simultaneously and prayers were offered across Ireland’s 26 dioceses to launch the five-day World Meeting of Families Catholic congress. Read more
Deadly floods – Pope calls for solidarity and help
Monday, August 20th, 2018
Deadly floods in Kerala, India, have seen Pope Francis call for solidarity and help from the international community. Incessant rains this month have caused the state’s worst floods in a century. At least 186 people have died, over 200,000 families have taken refuge at relief camps and about 800,000 have been displaced. Kerala is home Read more
Sydney woman may be Australia’s next saint
Monday, August 20th, 2018
Australia’s next saint may be a Sydney woman who died of spinal tuberculosis in 1920 at the age of 28. On Tuesday, Eileen O’Connor was officially awarded the title of ‘Servant of God’ by the Vatican. This is the first of the steps to be taken before a person can be declared a saint. The Read more
Argentinian Catholics encouraged to renounce faith
Monday, August 20th, 2018
A Collective Apostasy movement in Argentina is encouraging Catholics to renounce their faith. The movement, led by the Argentine Coalition for a Secular State, began a week after an anti-abortion choice Senate vote sent thousands of Argentinians out into the streets to protest. The Church lobbied against the legalised abortion bill. Every year, about 500,000 Read more
Theologians, educators, lay leaders want US bishops’ resignation
Monday, August 20th, 2018
Over 140 theologians, educators and lay leaders have called for all the bishops in the United States to resign. Just as Chile’s 34 bishops resigned in May after revelations of sexual abuse and corruption, US bishops should also submit their resignations to Pope Francis. Doing so would show the public an act of penance and Read more
Pope’s Share the Journey campaign takes a new twist
Monday, August 20th, 2018
Pope Francis’s Share the Journey campaign urging world leaders to reach an agreement on refugees has taken a new twist in Britain with an installation at London’s Westminster Cathedral. Led by two Catholic charities, CAFOD and Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), Share the Journey has resulted in hundreds of pairs of shoes being displayed outside Read more
Buddhist Association of China chair resigns amid sex abuse claims
Monday, August 20th, 2018The monk who chairs the Buddhist Association of China has resigned after accusations of sexual assault and other misconduct made against him went viral on social media. Read more
Mormon church leader asks everyone to stop using “Mormon”
Monday, August 20th, 2018The Mormon church President Russell M. Nelson says he wants people to stop using “Mormon” or “LDS” instead of “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. Nelson says the “Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his church.” The full name, “The Church of Jesus Christ Read more
Franciscan brother’s hunger strike highlights conditions in Brazil
Monday, August 20th, 2018Franciscan Brother Sergio Gorgen and five of his Brazilian compatriots, have been on a hunger strike since the end of July to highlight the deteriorating conditions many Brazilians have to live with. The hunger strikers are denouncing the social policies adopted by the current administration and the country’s court system. They say the system is Read more