Pope Francis praised Jews in an open letter to Rome’s liberal newspaper “La Repubblica.” The letter was published on the front page of its September 11 edition, and acted as a response to editorials that had addressed the pontiff on issues of religion and faith. The pope’s reply calls for a necessary and open dialogue Read more
Rebel fighters released a captive Catholic priest in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga as fighting between government troops and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) entered its fifth day on Friday. Father Michael Ufana was taken hostage when the rebels attacked five villages in the city on Monday. The MNLF still has more than Read more
A Catholic church in Newtownabbey, Belfast, has been damaged in a petrol bomb attack while paint was thrown at St Mary’s Star of the Sea Church on Shore Road, reports said. Parish priest Anthony Alexander said it was the fifth incident in the last year. “I just can’t work out why it is happening – Read more
Calling people on the phone is no big deal for Pope Francis, the Catholic News Service said in a report quoting a Vatican official. The pope reportedly said the many calls the journalists have brought to light are just the tip of the iceberg. “Good thing they don’t know about all the ones I have Read more
As reported by CathNews last week, Pope Francis is now the proud owner of a 1984 Renault 4. Donated by a priest in northern Italy who used it to visit poor parishioners, Associated Press reports he is going to use the 30 year old, manual shift, four-door car, with 300,000 kms on the clock, painted Read more
A Church official has been quoted by reports as saying that celibacy for priests in the Catholic Church is open for discussion. In an interview with a Venezuelan newspaper El Universal, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, new Secretary of State for the Vatican, said “celibacy is not an institution but look, it is also true that you Read more
Pope Francis met for three hours with Vatican officials on Tuesday to hear their questions and suggestions about his ongoing reform of the Vatican bureaucracy. Some 30 people attended the meeting, which included the heads of the Vatican’s eight congregations and 12 councils, as well as top officials from the Church’s tribunals and from the Read more
Pope Francis is set to meet with Peruvian scholar Gustavo Gutierrez, who is considered the founder of liberation theology. A report by the Religion News Service noted that the meeting can be a sign of “increasing favor” for liberation theology, which has been a subject to hostility and censure in the Vatican. Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Read more
Pope Francis said disused church buildings should be used to house refugees, who must be embraced rather than feared. The pontiff visited asylum seekers in Rome on Tuesday, underlining his papacy’s emphasis on the poor and the plight of immigrants. Turning convents and monasteries that have emptied due to a drop in vocations into hotels Read more
A Catholic priest was among some 250 civilians who were taken hostage by rebel Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga on Monday. Monsignor Chris Manongas, administrator of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga, said Father Michael Ufana was taken by MNLF gunmen from his parents’ house. “They were not able Read more