In a heartfelt message, Pope Francis has called upon young people to become beacons of hope in a world struggling with conflict, suffering and desolation. “When we think of human tragedies, especially the suffering of the innocent, we too can echo some of the Psalms and ask the Lord ‘Why?’ At the same time however, Read more
Bishop Joseph Strickland didn’t join his fellow US bishops at their annual autumn assembly on Tuesday. Instead, he led the rosary outside the hotel where the bishops’ meeting was taking place without him. Strickland’s appearance came just three days after Pope Francis removed him as the head of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas. However he Read more
The upcoming 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates is set to host its inaugural ‘Faith Pavilion’, featuring a keynote address by Pope Francis. Scheduled from 30 November to 12 December, this gathering of global political leaders assessing climate change will include a strong presence of religious figures. Pope Francis, Read more
A longtime critic of Islam and an outspoken atheist has become a Christian convert. “There are a number of reasons,” Ayaan Hirsi Ali said when she announced her new spiritual direction. She’s been a Muslim, a lapsed Muslim, an atheist and – now – a lapsed atheist. The vacuum left by the vanishing of a Read more
The committee responsible for enacting the reforms proposed by the German Church’s “Synodal Path” has removed the requirement that two-thirds of Bishops must vote in favour of a decision for it to pass. Previously for a vote to pass, two-thirds of bishops were required to vote in favour of a decision; now, it requires only Read more
Antisemitic incidents in the United States have skyrocketed by more than 300% year over year in the weeks since the Israel-Hamas war began, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said this week. More than two dozen incidents occur every day on average, according to the group’s calculations. The ADL said in a press release on Monday that Read more
Catholics in Malaysia have welcomed the first priest from the ethnic minority Rungus community, an event being hailed as a milestone for the local church. Bradley Stephen Belly was ordained by Archbishop John Wong Soo Kau of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah state, in the northern part of Borneo Island, on Nov 8, the archdiocese said Read more
By a vote of 72-26 with six abstentions, Peru’s Congress passed a bill on Nov 9 that expressly recognises the rights granted to unborn children in its constitution. Congressman Alejandro Muñante, one of the spokespersons for the Life and Family caucus in Peru, on Nov 12 told ACI Prensa, that the fundamental purpose of the Read more
The Hong Kong government has dismissed a petition from ten bishops to release the Catholic entrepreneur and democracy activist Jimmy Lai from prison. The government accused the bishops of using “distorted words” that verge on “contempt of court”. The Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, Archbishop John Wilson of Read more
In an unsurprising move, Pope Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland from his position as the head of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas. His action on Saturday follows an Apostolic Visitation of the Diocese and Strickland’s refusal to resign when the Pope offered him the chance to do so gracefully. The Vatican initiated an Apostolic Visitation Read more