Pope Francis appealed before 100,000 people on Saturday to avert a widening of Syria’s conflict, urging world leaders to pull humanity out of a “spiral of sorrow and death.” The pontiff led the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in a global day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria, the Middle East and the Read more
Cardinal Timothy Dolan last week said the “sinful” behavior of some clergy and other high-ranking Church officials has caused some of the faithful to declare themselves former members of the Catholic Church. Dolan, former archbishop of Milwaukee, made the comments during his first appearance in the city since the archdiocese released the personnel files of Read more
The Catholic Church in the United States has taken a more active role in pushing for an immigration overhaul that would legalize the millions of people who are in the country illegally. Church leaders have staged fasting and prayer events, starting last week, to spotlight the plight of the immigrant. Church leaders urged Catholics to Read more
Rebels including al-Qaeda-linked fighters gained control of a Christian village northeast of the capital Damascus, Syrian activists said on Sunday. Reports quoting government media said a scenic mountain community known for being one of the few places in the world where residents still speak the ancient Middle Eastern language of Aramaic was attacked by the Read more
Quebec’s public sector employees – including at hospitals and schools – may be forced to abandon head scarves, turbans, crucifixes and other religious apparel and symbols, if a controversial proposal passes. A report by Agence France Presse said the province has been working up changes for its “charter of values.” The government says its proposal Read more
The Vatican is ramping up its opposition to threatened military strikes against Syria. The Vatican has invited all ambassadors accredited to the Holy See to attend a briefing Thursday on the pope’s agenda for the four-hour vigil for peace on Saturday. Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Catholics and non-Catholics alike to participate in Saturday’s vigil, Read more
The Vatican has recalled its ambassador to the Dominican Republic and relieved him of his duties pending an investigation into reports linking him to child sex abuse. A special prosecutor had been appointed to investigate Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, who has been ambassador to Santo Domingo for nearly six years. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Read more
Newspaper reports from Argentina quoted an archbishop claiming that Pope Francis jokingly said he chose to live in a simple Vatican residence to avoid getting robbed in the more regal papal palace. A story posted on the website of the Catholic news agency of Argentina AICA quoted Archbishop Mario Poli, who replaced Pope Francis as Read more
A lawyer in the United States this week released the names of five priests, a nun and a choir director linked to clergy sex abuse cases. Attorney Mitchell Garabedian released the names on Wednesday. The lawyer periodically releases new names publicly, and is highly critical of Catholic church officials for what he says is their Read more
Muslim hard-liners in Indonesia continued their protests against the Miss World pageant that is scheduled to take place this weekend on the resort island of Bali. About 1,000 members of the Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia rallied outside the building housing the local organizer of the contest on Thursday. While chanting “Allah Akbar,” or God Read more