Catholic aid organisations are renewing their commitment to protect the vulnerable. Their promise follows an investigation into international aid organisation Oxfam The Times newspaper found Oxfam UK workers demanded sex for money following a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti in 2010. The newspaper also accused Oxfam officials of financial mismanagement, harassment, bullying and negligent supervision. “We are Read more
Pope Francis has accepted a Nigerian bishop’s resignation after months of attempting to convince Nigerian clergy to accept Bishop Ebere Okpaleke’s authority. Priests of Ahiara diocese, Mbaise in Nigeria’s Imo state have consistently refused to accept Okpaleke since his appointment nearly six years ago. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Okpaleke Bishop of Ahiara. Local clergy and Read more
Dreamers in the United States may be in for a nasty wake-up. Right now, they are facing deportation. The Catholic church in the US has issued an urgent call to action to help Dreamers (young immigrants brought illegally to the country as children). While they are currently shielded from deportation under an Obama-era Deferred Action Read more
Church leaders in Jerusalem have reacted strongly to paying church property tax. Churches have been exempt from paying property tax for centuries. “The civil authorities have always recognised and respected the great contribution of the Christian churches, which invest billions in building schools, hospitals, and homes, many for the elderly and disadvantaged in the Holy Read more
The Lebanese Adyan foundation for interreligious studies and spiritual solidarity has received the 35th Niwano Peace Prize. The prize was established to honor and encourage individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to interreligious cooperation. The Japan-based Niwano Peace Prize Committee says the Foundation has been “a visible and committed actor for peace in Lebanon Read more
Pope Francis wants young people to go online and give the Catholic Church an earful. His invitation is for young people all over the world. Their views will add to those of young Catholics meeting in Rome next month. Read more
A former judge of the Roman Rota, the Vatican’s highest appellate court, has accepted a plea bargain in an Italian criminal court. He faces a conditionally suspended sentence of one year and two months in prison on charges of sexual molestation and possession of child pornography. Read more
The Catholic diocese where two priests were killed this month has withdrawn all nuns from Chilapa city in southern Mexico. The diocese says the parents of one of the nuns have been killed. In addition, the school the nuns run had to close for several months last year due to threats from drug gangs operating Read more
Evidence from a key witness in the sexual abuse trial against Cardinal George Pell may be withdrawn and the charge against him dropped. The director of prosecutions told the Melbourne Magistrates Court that, although no decision has been made yet, the charge by the late Damian Dignan was “likely to be withdrawn”. Ruth Shann, a Read more
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI’s health is currently under the spotlight. The question is whether he is ill or not. His brother, 94 year-old Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, says the Pope emeritus is suffering from a nerve disease, which is paralyzing him little by little. Georg says the illness forces Benedict to use a wheelchair more often. Read more