Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was “a friend of South Africa’s poor,” church leaders said at her funeral service last Saturday. “Victims of rape and all kinds of abuse always knew that they could call on Winnie, who would be there for them,” Bishop Victor Phalana said. The former wife of the late South African President Nelson Mandela Read more
An exorcism course being held in Rome this week has drawn about 250 priests from dozens of countries. There is an increasing demand for exorcisms throughout the world. Topics the course covers include how to identify demonic possession, witchcraft in Africa, how to tell the difference between demonic possession and mental illness, and the rituals Read more
A child has asked Pope Francis if his atheist father is in heaven. Francis was visiting a parish on the outskirts of Rome when the child put the question to him. Francis routinely holds question-and-answer sessions with young people when he visits parishes. The child (whose name is Emanuele) was in tears when he asked Read more
Women’s voices must be integrated into all aspects of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and post-conflict operations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza says. Auza is the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York. Read more
A nun whose concern about nuclear weapons landed her a two-year jail sentence says it’s illegal to deal in weapons of mass destruction. “Immoral and illegal,” Sister Megan Rice says. “We’re not being taken to the international court of justice and indicted the way Iran or some other place would,” she said. Read more
The biggest obstacle to preaching the gospel today in Scotland is the Catholic Church itself, says the Bishop of Galloway. Read more
Church leaders including Pope Francis and the Syrian Patriarchs are condemning last weekend’s airstrikes by the United States (US), Britain and France. War planes and ships launched over 100 missiles at three chemical weapons storage and research facilities near Damascus and Homs. The airstrikes sought to punish President Bashar al-Assad for a suspected chemical attack Read more
A video on homophobia posted in Facebook that parodies the Eucharist and says it tastes “like cardboard” and smells “like hate” has drawn criticism from Bishop John Keenan of Paisley. He said the video posted by BBC Scotland “is ridiculing and demeaning the faith of ordinary Catholics, especially at a time when Catholics are experiencing Read more
A new quasi-parish for Catholics interested in the traditional Latin Mass has been established in Philadelphia by Archbishop Charles Chaput. A quasi-parish is the equivalent of a parish under canon law, with some exceptions. It can later become a parish at the discretion of the local bishop. “In response to a growing interest, it has Read more
A synod on women’s role in the life and mission of the Church has been proposed. The proposal is contained in a statement approved by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America’s plenary assembly. The Commission, which includes 22 Latin American cardinals and bishops, said it was both possible and “urgent” to increase opportunities for women Read more