The enthusiasm, daring and hope of young people are necessary to the Catholic Church, Pope Francis says. Speaking to a gathering of 300 young representatives, Francis explained the Church needs youth to preach the Gospel energetically and respond to the questions men and women raise today. “We need to rediscover in the Lord the strength Read more
A Brazilian bishop and four priests have been arrested for diverting donations and party funds worth about $600,000. The bishop and priests were part of a group that is alleged to have stolen funds to pay for personal expenses and to buy a cattle farm. Read more
Cardinal George Pell could face new criminal charges. His committal hearing in Melbourne was told on Tuesday that a witness had unexpectedly provided a new statement to police on Monday evening. Read more
The rights of medical professionals’ conscientious objection to participating in medical procedures to which their beliefs are opposed are being clarified in the British Parliament. The Conscientious Objection (Medical Activities) Act 2017 would defend healthcare workers in England and Wales from partaking in the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, IVF or similar fertility treatments, or abortion Read more
The Vatican admits an image of a letter it sent the media last week did not include the full copy. In the media release, only part of a five-paragraph letter from Emeritus Pope Benedict was visible. The bottom two lines of the first page and all but Benedict’s signature on the second page were obscured. Read more
A series of tweets from the Vatican express sorrow and prayers for Stephen Hawking who died last week. Hawking was an esteemed member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. St John Paul II named Hawking a member of the Academy in 1986. Its members are chosen on the basis of their academic credentials and professional Read more
Jewish leaders have joined Catholic bishops in Poland to urge Catholics and Jews to rebuild dialogue and fight prejudice. The Polish Bishops’ Conference describes anti-Jewish rhetoric in Poland as being “contradictory to the principles of Christian love of one’s neighbour.” A group of Polish rabbis responded, saying they “deeply appreciate” their condemnation of anti-Semitism. They Read more
Catholic Social Services (CSS) is no longer included in City of Philadelphia’s’ foster care programme. The city says it has stopped using CSS because it does not place children with same-sex couples. Last week one of the Philadelphia Councillors asked for the city’s Public Health and Human Services to investigate Philadelphia’s partnership with organisations that Read more
A human trafficking seminar looking at ways to prevent the sale of people was held in New York last week. The seminar was co-sponsored by the Vatican’s mission to the United Nations (UN). Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican representative to the UN, says women and girls are especially vulnerable to being ensnared by traffickers. He Read more
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk wants Pope St John Paul II to be the patron the Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation. Shevchuk, who is the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church says “Ukrainians do not know Poles, their pains, aspirations, ambitions, as well as Poles do not know Ukrainians. “That is why an exchange and a dialogue is essential. Read more