Iraqi and Syrian Christians have fled their homelands in huge numbers since 2011. About half of them have have left so far, says a report released by Christian advocacy groups Open Doors, Served, and Middle East Concern. Read more
World
Children with HIV and AIDS need help
Monday, June 19th, 2017Children with HIV and AIDS need better treatment like easier to swallow drugs say the World Council of Churches and many of Kenya’s faith leaders. They are challenging pharmaceutical companies to step up and help. The situation for very sick children in Kenya is bad, the church and faith leaders say. They estimate 26,000 children Read more
Leaked Aussie education funding reveals money-go-round
Monday, June 19th, 2017Leaked education funding modelling shows the way Australia’s public, Catholic and private schools may be affected by the Senate’s decision to block or support Gonski 2.0: the Turnbull government’s school funding model. The model would see a money-go-round in Australia’s education budget, with the country’s public schools getting an extra $4 billion over the next Read more
US-Iraq deal sees many Chaldean Christians arrested
Thursday, June 15th, 2017
Dozens of Chaldean Christians were arrested by federal immigration officials over the weekend in the Detroit metropolitan area. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who carried out the arrests, said in negotiations with the U.S. Iraq had “agreed to accept” the individuals. ICE said those arrested had criminal convictions, including for murder, rape, assault, Read more
Synod questionnaire for world’s youth launched
Thursday, June 15th, 2017
A questionnaire is seeking young people’s input for the 2018 Synod of Catholic bishops in Rome. A new website has been created for the questionnaire, which seeks information about “Young people, faith and vocational discernment”. The questions have been designed to help the Church better understand the lives, attitudes and concerns of 16- to 29-year-olds Read more
Church destroyed, parishioners beaten, tortured, arrested
Thursday, June 15th, 2017
A church was destroyed in China’s Henan province on 5 May. Parishioners who tried to stop the demolition were beaten and 40 were detained, China Aid has discovered. Of those arrested, ChinaAid says eight remain in custody. China Aid is an international non-profit dedicated to promoting religious freedom and human rights for Christians in China. Read more
Vatican bank’s soaring profits
Thursday, June 15th, 2017
The Vatican bank’s annual report shows a profit of €36 million (about NZ$55,630 million) for its last financial year. The profits, which are up €20 million from the €16.1 million in the 2015 year, are “being distributed in aid of the Holy See’s mission”. More properly called the Institute for the Works of Religion, the Read more
Name-reveal – who’s on Pope’s Academy of Life list
Thursday, June 15th, 2017
The international line-up of new Pontifical Academy of Life appointments include clergy and lay advisors from countries as diverse as Australia, Ukraine, Congo, Japan and Sweden. The 45 mainly male appointees include several former members as well as new ones. Experts chosen by Pope Francis for the Academy (which is his bioethics advisory board) include: Read more
Myanmar’s Catholic leaders leading Myanmar’s rebuild
Thursday, June 15th, 2017Myanmar’s Catholic leaders are planning to rebuild their country, which has been devastated by decades of military rule. Last week 72 bishops, priests, nuns and laypeople attended a “Mission planning for nation building” workshop to find a common platform so they could “effectively contribute to the building of the nation”. Read more
Pope’s extraordinary climate change leadership
Thursday, June 15th, 2017Pope Francis’s leadership on climate change is “extraordinary”, Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna says. Mckenna has been in Italy to attend the G7 environment summit in Bologna and has participated in meetings at the Vatican to discuss the issues of migration and climate change. “It is really important because we have to be talking to Read more