Saint Death is not a saint. Nor is she Catholic. She is worshipped for evil purposes. Millions of people idolise her skeletal form. Her other names are Santa Muerte or “Holy Death”. She is popular in Mexico and Central America and in some parts of the United States. In fact, there is no Catholic Saint Read more
Martin Luther’s antisemitism should be denounced, says Rabbi Abraham Cooper. In his view, next year’s 500th anniversary of Luther’s break from the Catholic church would be a perfect time to right past wrongs. Cooper, who is the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles says this would involve the Evangelical Church in Read more
New Beatitudes from Pope Francis have been added to those described by Jesus. The Beatitudes are the saints’ “identity cards” said Pope Francis. They were the subject of his homily in the Mass he celebrated in Sweden on All Saints Day. He went on to say the best description of the saints is found in Read more
Freedom from ISIS control was celebrated on Sunday in Qaraqosh with the first mass in two years. Before ISIS took over the area, Qaraqosh was home to the Northern Iraq region’s largest Christian population. The mass was announced with pealing church bells and celebrated in the Church of the Immaculate Conception’s bombed-out shell. The handful Read more
Death. Dying with dignity. Facing death with courage. Dying well. Bereavement. We all have to face these issues at some stage – but how? Is there an art to dying? Yes, there is. A new website hosted by the Catholic Church in England and Wales has decided to confront the big taboo and is using Read more
En route to Rome, after his visit to Sweden, a journalist asked Pope Francis “Is it realistic to think of women priests also in the Catholic Church in the coming decades?” The world is finding it hard to adjust to a Pope who speaks off the cuff. He has been dubbed “the Pope of the Read more
Witch or martyr? It seems the last woman to be hanged as a witch in Boston may have been a martyr. After falling ill (and perhaps spreading her illness to the children in her care) Ann Glover was convicted of being an “idolatrous Roman Catholick” and a witch. She was hanged on Boston Common on Read more
Ukrainian Catholics are excluded from the Religious Council in the Crimea. The Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014. Its new rules for religious organizations are similar to Russian religious policies. The new regulations say only “traditional” religions, including Orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are allowed on the Council. Read more
Vatican Radio will take a minor role in future, says Vatican journalist Sandro Magister of L’Espresso. Other communication forms will step up to replace it. Social media will form a big part of the new news service. The Jesuit-managed mainly short-wave radio broadcasts are translated into many languages. The station runs at an annual deficit Read more
Divorced, remarried Catholics can receive communion. German Cardinal, Walter Kasper, says Amoris laetitia allows for a “changed pastoral practice”. He also says “We must make Amoris laetitia an awakening of family pastoral ministry. Marriage and family must be the central theme in pastoral care because the family is the way of the Church.” Kasper is Read more