Catholic media from all over Asia gathered in Kuala Lumpur recently. Their aim – to develop strategies to counter fake news. They noted social media is particularly known for spreading false news stories. The meeting was convened by the World Catholic Association for Communication. Read more
World
Australian Anglican Church: 1,100 abuse complaints
Thursday, March 23rd, 2017The Australian Anglican Church has had around 1,100 child abuse complaints reported against it in the past 35 years. A Government report says most children were aged around 11 when they were abused. Their publication about the Anglican Church comes a month after the Royal Commission into child abuse was told the Australian Catholic church Read more
Pope Francis explains what a good confessor’s like
Monday, March 20th, 2017
Pope Francis explained what a good confessor’s like to hundreds of priests last Friday. There are three particular characteristics Francis highlighted when speaking to the priests at the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican court. The Apostolic Penitentiary deals with issues concerning the sacrament of confession. Francis says the first characteristic is the priest “must be a Read more
Pope Francis making progress in Vatican’s financial clean-up
Monday, March 20th, 2017
Pope Francis is making progress in cleaning up the Vatican’s hidden financial corners. He has invited international financial watchdog, Moneyval, to check the accounts. He has also had the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority (AIF) have a look at the Holy See’s finances. The AIF has found 23 cases of suspected financial irregularity. It has sent Read more
Anniversary of ISIS genocide marked
Monday, March 20th, 2017
The anniversary of ISIS crimes being recognised as genocide was marked in the US with a gathering of the Genocide Coalition: lawmakers advocates and survivors. On 17 March last year, former Secretary of State John F. Kerry, said ISIS (IS, Islamic State, Daesh) “is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Read more
A Dominican priest and a great imam scoop award
Monday, March 20th, 2017
A Dominican priest and a great imam have been held up as models “to the entire African continent for interreligious harmony active in daily work”. The African branch of United Religions Initiative (URI) presented Father James Channan and Abdul Khabir Azad, the great Imam of the royal mosque in Lahore, with the “Award for Interreligious Read more
Bolivia’s bishops blast abortion proposal
Monday, March 20th, 2017
Bolivia’s bishops conference is begging everyone “to defend the right to life”. They say this right is seriously threatened by current proposals to abort infants. If accepted, four proposals could end life during the infant’s first eight weeks; five other proposals could abort the child at any time during the pregnancy. Some of the reasons Read more
Priest stabbed “for being Indian”
Monday, March 20th, 2017A priest was stabbed “for being Indian” just before celebrating Mass on Sunday. The stabbing happened at the 11am mass at St Matthew’s church in the Melbourne suburb of Fawkner North. It is believed the 72-year old offender accused Fr Tomy Kalathoor Mathew of being Hindu or Muslim and stabbed him in the neck. The Read more
St Patrick – a slave, a migrant with no papers
Monday, March 20th, 2017St Patrick was a slave and a migrant with no papers, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Amargh said. He reminded those celebrating St Patrick’s feast day last Friday to remember the plight of migrants. “As Irish people, we cannot think of Patrick without acknowledging the enormous humanitarian and pastoral challenges facing growing numbers of people who Read more
Pope Francis will definitely visit Egypt
Monday, March 20th, 2017Pope Francis will definitely visit Egypt next month. The Vatican has confirmed Francis will visit Egypt on 28 and 29 April. He will visit to the Al-Azhar university and mosque in Cairo, widely considered the most significant center of learning in the Sunni Muslim world. Read more