Progress in understanding new biology may create a new phase in the scientific explanation of life, say some of the 100 scientists, theologians and philosophers who gathered for a conference at England’s Oxford University last week. They say rapid advances made in biological research in recent decades are raising questions about what they mean for Read more
The Vatican has released a limited edition medallion marking the fifth year of Pope Francis’s pontificate. There are 50 copies in gold, 1,000 in silver and 1,500 in bronze, as well as 50 “triptychs” (in gold, silver and bronze). Read more
A woman who says she has carried out 10,000 abortions was a key speaker last week at an Italian parish forum sponsored by local officials of Caritas Italiana. Parishioners protesting at her inclusion in the forum were removed from the audience. Emma Bonino’s advocacy for immigrants and refugees has prompted Pope Francis to praise her Read more
A Muslim extremist in Syria surrendered his life to Christ after experiencing the hospitality of Christians and hearing the Gospel from a local pastor. According to Open Doors USA the pastor was talking about a church event involving feeding the people who were still in the city and sharing the Gospel to those who were Read more
Cardinal George Pell appeared briefly at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with historic sex offences. No formal plea was entered although Pell’s legal team lead, Robert Richter, told the magistrate: “For the avoidance of doubt … Cardinal Pell will plead not guilty to all charges, and will maintain the presumed innocence that he Read more
Vanquishing ISIS and returning Mosul to the Christian Community is a sign of hope, says Syriac-Catholic Archbishop Petros Mouche of Mosul. The prelate says even though Mosul has been destroyed, for Syriac-Catholic Christians in Iraq its “liberation is … a cause for great joy because the bulk my diocese is comprised by Mosul and Qaraqosh Read more
Father Jacques Hamel, the French priest murdered just after praying for world peace while saying mass a year ago, has become a ‘brother to all,’ his sister Roselyne Hamel says. The two men who killed him claimed allegiance to ISIS. “We certainly come with many emotions,” Hamel said on Tuesday, the day before her brother’s Read more
A nuclear disarmament conference will be held at the Vatican in November this year. Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi says the Vatican is working to convince the public that the world is safer without nuclear weapons, rather than with them. Tomasi is the delegate secretary to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which is working Read more
A homemade bomb left at the outside door of the Mexican Bishops Conference headquarters exploded in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Although footage of the blast shows its force blew the door in, nobody was injured. The building is in the northern part of Mexico City near the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Read more
The Vatican fountains are unusually quiet at present. That’s because Pope Francis has had them turned off to show solidarity and conserve water during the drought affecting much of Italy. Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si denounces wasteful practices and highlights the importance of clean drinking water. The prolonged drought has hit two-thirds of farmland and has Read more