An outspoken politician has called for a royal commission into Islam in Australia, noting how such a body is helping uncover child abuse in the Church. Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie’s office released a graphic comparing a “big problem”’ with Islamic radicalisation to child molestation in the Australian Catholic Church. The graphic asks if a royal Read more
Starbucks and McDonalds in the US are adding Internet pornography filters to their free WiFi offerings. The McDonalds announcement follows a campaign by the anti-porn group Enough is Enough (EIE) and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. The Internet filtering has been activated in the majority of McDonalds’s 14,000 outlets in the US. “McDonald’s is Read more
A German archdiocese is preparing to open the cause of Romano Guardini, one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising archdiocese is expected to formally open the cause before the end of the year. According to German media reports, the archdiocese has appointed a postulator for Read more
A Catholic priest has reminded the Republican Party national convention in the United States of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Msgr Kieran Harrington delivered the invocation on the opening night of the convention in Cleveland on July 18. The prayer lasted three minutes. The prayer included a request for blessings and inspiration for the Read more
Gay and transgender Christians are to set up an unofficial ministry for World Youth Day in Poland later this month. Leaders of the Warsaw-based “Faith and Rainbow” LGBT organisation say they want to minister to the thousands of gay, lesbian and transgender people attending the event. They will do this through an “LGBT Pilgrim’s Haven” Read more
Donald Trump’s running mate in the US presidential election describes himself as a “born again, evangelical Catholic”. Mr Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, tweeted on Friday that Indiana Governor Mike Pence would be his running mate. Mr Pence has previously described himself as a “pretty ordinary Christian” and as “a Christian, a conservative and Read more
A former president of Ireland has said that an entrenched clericalism in that country used to view any opposition to itself as militant secularism. Speaking in an interview on the Crux website, Mary McAleese said Ireland had, at least in part, been dissuaded from anti-immigrant movements because of its rich Christian culture. She was asked Read more
A US bishop has directed that all parishes in his diocese will be chanting some parts of the Mass by 2020. Marquette Bishop John Doerfler wrote a letter to priests in his diocese in January spelling out what he wants. The Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei will be sung and the Communion antiphon will be Read more
Religion classes in Belgium’s French-speaking schools will be cut in half, starting in October. The classes will be replaced with a weekly hour of “citizenship classes”. Critics worry that the new classes will promote abortion and homosexuality, the Catholic News Agency reported. There are also fears that the changes could end up pushing teachers with Read more
Nearly two dozen Colombian young people have displayed convulsions and other odd behaviours after playing the Ouija-type game “Charlie Charlie”. The game consists of a pair of pencils or pens, a piece of paper and the invocation of a demonic spirit named “Charlie”. The demon supposedly answers “yes” or “no” to questions put to him. Read more