Exploiting nuns by using them for cheap or free labour must stop. The male hierarchy should stop treating them like lowly servants, a Vatican magazine says. Lucetta Scaraffia, who is the editor of the Vatican magazine “Women, Church, World”, says “Until now, no one has had the courage to denounce these things.” She says nuns Read more
Japan’s bishops have written to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. They want strict observance of the constitutional separation of state-sponsored ceremonies. They say these ceremonies should be clearly separated from the imperial family’s private religious ones when the change of emperors takes place in 2019. The bishops note this principle was “learned from reflection on history Read more
Modern expressions of Pelagian and Gnostic thought contradicting the belief that Christian salvation can come only through Christ and the Church are incorrect. A new letter issued by the Vatican’s doctrinal office to the world’s bishops clarifies how the ancient heresies of Pelagianism and Gnosticism are diffused in modern culture. It urges Christians to evangelise while Read more
A new book “Ethics and Practice of Conservation: Manual for the conservation of ethnographic and multi-material assets” has been released from the Vatican museums. The ethics and practice of conservation is the result of nearly a century of experience at the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum. Read more
A Vancouver medical authority’s hospice and palliative care facilities now include a medically assisted death provision. The Fraser Health Board’s decision to impose the provision on their facilities has been widely criticised. A number of people have rejected the decision. They include Vancouver’s Archbishop J. Michael Miller, the director of Fraser Health Board’s palliative care Read more
Fashion icons Versace and Vogue have joined forces with the Vatican to showcase the Church’s influence on fashion. Liturgical vestments with intricate patchworks of gold and silver thread embroidery, jewelled mitres and historic papal tiaras (one comprising 18,000 diamonds) have been provided for the exhibition by the Sistine Chapel sacristy. In all, raiment from 15 Read more
Israel’s government has suspended Jerusalem’s church property tax plan. As a result major Christian denominations, including the Catholic Church, have promised to reopen the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It had been closed for three days as a protest against the proposed taxation regime. The church – revered as the site where Jesus Read more
Thirty or forty nuns, priests and faith leaders were among those arrested on Capitol Hill – the seat of the U.S. government – on Tuesday. They were calling on lawmakers to support bipartisan immigration legislation that makes permanent protections available to Dreamers. About 1.8 million Dreamers stand to lose the protection offered by the Obama-era Read more
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) protest movement against President Joseph Kabila is being led by the Catholic Church. Last weekend’s anti-government protests in the capital city of Kinshasa saw four people shot dead. The United Nations mission in Congo says 47 people were wounded and over 100 arrested in the Sunday protests. The casualties Read more
Religion is slipping off the agenda in Irish schools. In a meeting with the Education and Training Ireland, concerned Church representatives said some community colleges were not spending enough time teaching religion. This was despite agreements and deeds of trust which stipulate that these schools should spend up to two hours teaching pupils religion each Read more