A Nigerian archbishop has told the synod on the family that no-one should try to impose foreign cultures and ways on African peoples. Africans “have come of age”, said Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, who is president of the Nigerian bishops’ conference. “We should be allowed to think for ourselves,” he said, noting that many African countries Read more
Pope Francis is tipped to win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, according to some of the world’s leading bookmakers. The Religion News Service reported that Francis is currently the 5-2 favourite with British bookmaker William Hill to win the award, which will be announced by the Nobel Institute in Norway on October 10. Irish bookmaker Read more
Nine mosques in Australia will open their doors to the public later this month in an effort to help overcome prejudices and misunderstandings. The first national mosque open day, to be held on October 25, will see non-Muslims invited to take tours of mosques and to ask questions of Islamic leaders. It will be followed Read more
The appointment of the new Archbishop of Chicago, Blase Cupich, signals where Pope Francis wants to take the American Catholic Church. That’s what New York magazine writer Lisa Miller wrote of Archbishop Cupich, who has, she said, a “heart for the poor”. “People who know Cupich say he has a particular genius for bridging gaps Read more
On the eve of the opening of the synod on the family, Pope Francis said the secret to solving situations of difficulty lies in gazing on the face of Christ. “Every time we return to the source of Christian experience, new paths and un-thought of possibilities open up,” the Pope said at a prayer vigil Read more
An inquiry has been set up to find out if there was misconduct by New South Wales police in dealings with the Catholic Church over abuse complaints. The Police Integrity Commission in New South Wales will conduct a public hearing in Sydney on October 13. The investigation was ordered after the ABC and a Green Read more
The massive pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong are partly motivated by a desire to stop China’s communist government from clamping down on Christianity. The protesters are calling for democratic elections in Hong Kong, demanding the right to vote for a leader of their choice in 2017, without restrictions from Beijing. But some commentators see a Read more
Pope Francis has warned bishops not to accept priests just because there is a shortage of them in a diocese. In an address to the Congregation for Clergy on October 3, Pope Francis asked bishops to think of the good of the people of God and to study the itinerary of vocations carefully. Vocations are Read more
A newly appointed bishop in England says he believes Pope Francis was right to “rattle the cage” of bishops. Bishop-elect John Arnold of Salford said he believes the Pope has made some bishops rethink their priorities. A former barrister who was auxiliary bishop in Westminster, Bishop Arnold has pledged to follow the Pope’s exhortation to Read more
Cardinal Walter Kasper says some prelates who have taken a hard line ideological position prior to the synod on the family have got the Gospel all wrong. In an interview with America Magazine and Argentina’s La Nacion, Cardinal Kasper said some cardinals and bishops fear a domino-like collapse in the Church’s moral structure. “That’s their Read more