A Dominican friar killed at the Dachau concentration camp in 1945, after he was arrested for helping Jews, has been beatified. Blessed Giuseppe Girotti, OP, was beatified in Alba, Italy, the day before the canonisations of St John Paul II and St John XXIII. In 1995, Israel’s Yad Vashem holocaust memorial declared him “righteous among Read more
World
Vatican commission pushes for broad accountability on sex abuse
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014
Bishops should be held accountable if they don’t report suspected sex abuse or protect children from paedophile priests, a pontifical commission says. The new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors held its first meeting from May 1-3 at the Vatican. Commission head Cardinal Sean O’Malley says a person’s rank in the Church should lead Read more
US archbishop says botched execution shows brutality of death penalty
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014
An American archbishop says a botched execution of a prisoner in Oklahoma underscores the brutality of the death penalty. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City said this after an attempt to execute convicted killer Clayton Lockett by lethal injection on April 29. A combination of three lethal drugs was being used in the state for Read more
Humanae Vitae model for Pope’s balance of doctrine and mercy
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014
Pope Francis’s praise for Humanae Vitae is key to understanding his dual emphases on clear doctrine and pastoral mercy, a senior Vatican observer says. Writing in L’Espresso, Sandro Magister noted there is growing pressure for a change in Church teaching on Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics. “There was similarly massive pressure for change in Read more
Christian leaders pan Kenya’s new polygamy law
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014
Christian leaders fear a new marriage law in Kenya allowing polygamy will tear families apart. President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the polygamy measure into law on April 29, formally recognising what has long been a cultural practice in the nation. The new law allows a man to take a new wife without informing his existing wife. Read more
First openly gay US Episcopal bishop divorces from long-time partner
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014
The world’s first openly gay Episcopal bishop has announced his divorce from his long time partner. Bishop Gene Robinson’s election in 2003 shocked the worldwide Anglican communion. After entering into a civil union with his partner of 25 years Mark Andrews in 2008, Bishop Robinson announced the split in May this year, the Religion News Read more
Fake priest tries to get into Michael Schumacher’s hospital room
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014A man dressed as a priest has tried to get into the hospital room of Formula One racing star Michael Schumacher, who is in a coma after a skiing accident. Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm reportedly said this in German media. She said she had been told the fake priest is a journalist, and she called Read more
Chinese Christians facing major government crackdown
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014Chinese Christians are facing the worst government crackdown in a decade, a leading activist says. Bob Fu said this after demolition teams started tearing down a newly-built Protestant cathedral in Wenzhou on April 28. The church had one of the largest congregations in China. Government officials claimed the church violated building codes. Mr Wu, a Read more
Pope appoints commission to sort out Peru university conflict
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014Pope Francis has appointed a commission to fix a prolonged conflict between the Archbishop of Lima and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Since 2007, the university in Lima has been battling its chancellor, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriano, who is Lima’s archbishop. At issue is who has the right to appoint the rector, supervision of Read more
US archbishop restricts who can bring guns to church
Friday, May 2nd, 2014
An American archbishop will ban the presence of all guns in Catholic institutions in his archdiocese, except those carried by authorised officers. Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta did this in response to a new Georgia law that will allow licensed gun owners to carry arms into schools, churches and other places. “Before this legislation takes Read more