Pope Benedict XVI canonized seven new saints on Sunday. In his homily, the pope praised each of the seven new saints as examples for the entire church. They “lived their lives in total consecration to God and in generous service to their brothers,” the pope said. The canonization coincided with the Synod of Bishops on Read more
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi on Monday said the peace mission to Syria will will take place “as soon as possible” but may be delayed by recent events. Several prelates, including New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, were set to leave for Syria later this week, but Lombardi said recent fighting in Damascu and unrest in Beirut Read more
A former priest told an Australian state inquiry into the Catholic Church’s handling of child abuse cases that more than one in 20 Victorian Catholic priests became a child abuser. Des Cahill, an intercultural studies professor and a former priest, said the Church’s senior leaders may have to go to jail for covering up the Read more
Authorities in Banda Aceh have closed down nine churches and six Buddhist temples in the past week following mounting pressure from local Islamic groups, ucanews.com quoted rights groups as saying. All the religious sites are in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province in Sumatra where sharia law is implemented. “Priests were forced to sign a document agreeing Read more
Shrines in the French mountain town of Lourdes began to reopen on Monday after flash floods that caused hundreds of thousands of euros in damage. Hundreds of pilgrims who had come to visit the famous grotto where the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to a peasant girl in 1858 had to be evacuated after heavy flooding Read more
Pope Benedict XVI is sending a delegation of bishops, including Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, to Syria in late October to show solidarity with victims of violence and encourage peace negotiations. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, made the announcement on Oct. 16, the Catholic News Service reported. “In the certainty that Read more
There are more Catholics in Ireland than ever before, but the church is losing market share due to a surge in other religions and non-believers, the Independent news site reported. The report, quoting a new census on religion, said the Catholic Church now has 3.86 million members in Ireland, but a growing population – including Read more
The Catholic Church will canonize seven new saints on Sunday, October 21, in St. Peter’s Square. Among the new saints, two come from the United States, Blessed Marianne Cope of Molokai and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Mother Marianne (Barbara Koob, 1838-1918) was born in Germany and grew up in Utica, New York. She joined the Sisters Read more
A parliamentary investigation into alleged cover-ups and failures to properly report child abuse by Church organizations in Australia opens today. Among recommendations that are put before the probe include a register for Church personnel and a program to monitor training for workers in religious groups. A parliamentary committee opens the hearing into the allegations after Read more
Pope Benedict XVI reportedly supported the Russian Orthodox Church’s tough stance against the punk band Pussy Riot who were controversially jailed for two years after staging an anti-Vladimir Putin protest in a Moscow cathedral, The Independent of London reported. The pope’s position was announced in comments posted on the website of Patriarch Kirill, head of Read more