The Church in Italy has called for Halloween to be scrapped and replaced with “Holyween”, a night in which children would go to prayer vigils and Masses. A conference of exorcists in Rome last weekend warned of the danger to young people at Halloween. This is a time when there is an increase in occult Read more
Pope Francis has said that both the Big Bang theory, about the start of the universe, and the theory of evolution do not conflict with Catholic teaching. Speaking to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Monday, Pope Francis said scientific explanations for the world did not exclude the role of God in creation. “The beginning Read more
A former high ranking official at the Congregation for Clergy has been forced to return objects of value to churches in Turin. During Msgr Giovanni Carrù’s 20 years as pastor in a Turin parish, many paintings, statues, furniture and other objects were lost and then found in private homes. Two candelabra ended up being among Read more
The Australian government and other bodies should pay towards compensation for victims abused as children in institutions, a royal commission head says. Justice Peter McClellan said some Australian institutions where children were abused either have no money or no longer exist. He chairs the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Justice McClellan Read more
Pope Francis has called for the abolition of life imprisonment, saying that it is another, hidden, form of the death penalty. At a meeting with representatives of the International Association of Penal Law last week, the Pope denounced what he called “penal populism”. This promises to solve society’s problems by punishing crime instead of pursuing Read more
The new Archbishop of Sydney says that the biggest challenge facing the family today is that modernity has forgotten how to love. In an opinion piece on abc.net, Archbishop-elect Anthony Fisher wrote that “modernity struggles with any kind of love that goes beyond feelings”. “People today are less and less willing to commit, for the Read more
Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI has warned against relativistic ideas of religious truth as being “lethal to faith”. The retired pontiff sent a written message of 1800 words to Rome’s Pontifical Urbanian University, where a lecture hall was recently dedicated to him. “The risen Lord instructed his apostles, and through them his disciples in all ages, Read more
Pope Francis has ordered an inquiry into an Italian bishop after scandalous behaviour by some of the priests in his diocese. Albenga-Imperia diocese in northern Italy has been seen as hosting a number of so-called “playboy priests”, who frequently broke the law. An apostolic visitor will assess the capability of Bishop Mario Oliveri, 70, who Read more
A US survivor of the deadly Ebola virus has stated her belief in the power of prayer. Nina Pham, a nurse from Texas, was the first person to contract the virus within the United States. This is believed to have happened when she was nursing Thomas Duncan, who subsequently died. Now declared free of Ebola Read more
A Catholic couple in Ohio in the United States who were married for 73 years have died within 28 hours of each other. When Helen Auer, 94, died last week, she was sitting in a chair, and her husband Joe came into the room and knew what had happened. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Joe Read more