Sudan’s Catholic leaders are hopeful the country’s almost five-year civil war is at an end. A ceasefire has been declared by South Sudan officials and rebel leaders. While Bishop Barani Hiiboro, president of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishop’s Conference, welcomed the ceasefire he says: “if it is to mean anything for the suffering Read more
World
Spanish Church speaks against exhuming Franco’s remains
Monday, July 2nd, 2018Spanish church leaders have advised the government not to carry out plans to exhume General Francisco Franco’s remains, without obtaining agreement from interested parties. “We want a solution which helps build a peaceful country,” said Rodrigo Pinedo Texidor, archdiocesan communications director. Read more
German leader: migrants must be turned back at border
Monday, July 2nd, 2018One of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bavarian allies is alleged to have rejected a deal she made last week in Brussels to slash migration. The deal Merkel made with other European Union leaders shares out refugees on a voluntary basis and creates “controlled centres” inside the bloc to process asylum requests. Read more
Facebook’s ‘Say Nope to the Pope’ campaign
Thursday, June 28th, 2018
A ‘Say Nope to the Pope’ Facebook page is encouraging people to protest against Pope Francis’s visit to Ireland in August. The campaign aims to ensure a low turnout at planned events at the triennial World Meeting of Families. So far over 1,000 people have clicked “attending” the protest and another 4,000 say they are Read more
Marijuana use is a sin regardless of legality
Thursday, June 28th, 2018
Marijuana will become legal in Canada in October, but using it will remain a sin, Canada’s bishops say. It “violates the virtue of temperance” and should be avoided unless being used for medicinal purposes. “The virtue … ‘disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco or medicine,’” Frank Leo, Read more
Torturing people is a mortal sin, says Pope
Thursday, June 28th, 2018
Torturing people is a mortal sin, a grave sin, says Pope Francis. In a Tuesday message for the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Francis said that torture didn’t end in Auschwitz-Birkenau. “Today people are being tortured. Many prisoners are tortured. Today in many places where there is war the same thing happens. Read more
Irish Government Minister voted for abortion, then helped at Mass
Thursday, June 28th, 2018
An Irish Government Minister who campaigned for a “Yes” vote in the recent abortion referendum, led a prayer service at her local parish last weekend. Josepha Madigan, who is Ireland’s Minister for Culture, offered to lead a liturgy service because the priest wasn’t available. She was also a Minister for the Eucharist distributing consecrated hosts at Read more
France’s President receives Catholic honorary title from Pope
Thursday, June 28th, 2018
France’s President Emmanuel Macron has been given an honorary title by Pope Francis. Macron visited the Vatican to accept an inherited title of the “First and Only Honorary Canon” of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. St John Lateran is the pope’s cathedral in his capacity as bishop of Rome. Under a tradition that began Read more
Priest suspended: rap music is not allowed in preaching
Thursday, June 28th, 2018Rap music is not allowed to be used as a way of delivering sermons. Doing so led to a Kenyan priest being suspended. The priest – Father Ogalo – who says he was using rap music to deliver his sermons to “bring the youth closer to the church,” has landed him in hot water with Read more
Four new cardinal bishops announced
Thursday, June 28th, 2018Pope Francis has signed a rescript adding four more members to the group of cardinal bishops in the College of Cardinals. They are: Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 63, Vatican secretary of state; Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 74, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches; Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, 74, prefect of the Congregation for Italian Read more