Mosul refugees are receiving emergency aid from Caritas. Up to 1.5 million people are expected to need immediate help, while about 13 million are likely to be displaced by the end of this year as the Mosul crisis develops. The military offensive to root out ISIS militants from Mosul and surrounding villages will be a Read more
The Vatican has released a special stamp to commemorate Mother Teresa of Kolkata’s canonisation on September 4. The 95-cent stamp features a wrinkled but radiant Mother Teresa smiling in her blue-trimmed, white sari. Overlaid on the design by Patrizio Daniele is another image of her holding the hand of a small child. “Frail but equally Read more
Refugee Olympic Team members have received a letter from Pope Francis as they prepare to compete in the Olympic Games 2016. Wishing each of them success, the letter – written in Spanish and dated 26 July 2016 – is addressed to all refugee athletes, calling each by name. Pope Francis writes of his own research Read more
A halal supermarket in Paris has been ordered by local authorities to sell pork and alcohol or face closure. The Good Price mini-market in Colombes has not followed the conditions of its lease, which states the shop must act as a “general food store”, the local authority has said. It argues that members of the Read more
Forgiveness is needed, says the Pope. Speaking during a visit to Assisi, Italy last week, Francis told the faithful “The path of forgiveness can truly renew the Church and the world. “The world needs forgiveness,” he said. “Too many people are caught up in resentment and harbour hatred, because they are incapable of forgiving. They Read more
Pope Francis has created a gender-balanced commission to study the possibility of allowing women to serve as deacons in the Catholic church. The 12-member panel of scholars will study the question of whether women were ordained as deacons in the early church, and whether they could be ordained in the Catholic Church today. If female Read more
Mother Teresa was not motivated by altruism in her service to the “poorest of the poor”; her opponents say. On the ‘near eve’ of her canonisation Hindu fundamentalists claim the impetus for Mother Teresa’s action was an attempt to convert people. Mother Teresa is due to be made a saint on 4 September at the Vatican. “They are Read more
Choosing gender is not an option to teach children says Pope Francis. The Pope’s comments on gender were made during a private meeting last week with bishops from Poland. During the meeting Francis lamented children are being taught at school that gender can be a choice. “Today, in schools they are teaching this [gender choosing] Read more
Muslims, Jews and Christians were among the thousands who attended the public funeral of ISIS-slain Fr Jacques Hamel on Tuesday. The requiem Mass, was led by the city of Rouen’s archbishop, Dominique Lebrun and afterwards Father Hamel was interred with a private burial ceremony. The archbishop told mourners that after his throat was slit, Hamel pushed one Read more
Refugees and migrants will have to wait for the United Nations (U.N.) to ratify a draft international agreement to help settle their plight. At present, more people are forcibly displaced from their homes than at any time since the Second World War ended. But their circumstances are so politically contentious that after days of intense Read more