The Catholic Church in Australia revealed that at least 620 children have become victims of sex abuse by clergy since the 1930s. The revelation was made in a submission to a state parliamentary hearing on Friday. “It is shameful and shocking that this abuse, with its dramatic impact on those who were abused and their Read more
German Catholics who refuse to pay religious tax will not receive the sacraments or become a godparent. The German bishops’ conference last week issued a decree, saying it was “worried” about the Catholic Church’s dwindling numbers and wanted to stem the drop. Those who will refuse to pay the tax will not ba able to Read more
Gay and lesbian Catholics in San Francisco are worried that that they will be marginalized with the appointment of Archbishop-designate Salvatore Cordileone Reports dubbed the pope’s appointment of Cordileone as the “Bombshell by the Bay.” The incoming prelate of the city that thrust same-sex marriage onto the national stage has decried the “contraceptive mentality” of Read more
The People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced three Christian bloggers on Monday in a case that has drawn international criticism. A report by UCA News said the bloggers were charged with spreading anti-government propaganda under Article 88 of the country’s criminal code. The three are founding members of the Free Journalist Club, an Read more
International religious pilgrimages have become a “life-affirming contemplation for the faithful and the lifeblood of the communities surrounding popular shrines.” A report by CNBC said global “pilgrimage tourism” encompasses a multitude of businesses from tour operators and shrine administrators, to road-side souvenir stalls and pilgrims’ hostels. Religious travel generates at least $8 billion a year Read more
A report released on Thursday by the US thinktank Pew Research Centre’s Forum on Religion and Public Life notes a sharp rise in religious restrictions worldwide. The report titled “The Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion” shows a six percent increase in restrictions in the four years until 2010. The report cites evidence that paints Read more
Roman Catholic officials in Israel appealed to authorities this week to take a stronger stand against violence aimed at Catholic churches. An Associated Press report quoted Rev. Pierbattista Pizzaballa expressing worry over relations between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land. “I think the main atmosphere is ignorance,” Pizzaballa said in an interview with the Read more
The US bishops’ conference has launched a Spanish-language Facebook page to cater to the growing number of Hispanic populations in many areas of the country. “Hispanics make up 16 percent of the total US population, almost 40 percent of US Catholics, and 50 percent of US Catholics under age 25,” explained Bishop John C. Wester Read more
An Italian startup is launching a web advertising platform that aims to provide Catholic websites with Catholic-approved advertisements, Religion News Service reported. The platform, called AdEthic, was presented on Thursday in Rome as part of a Church project to engage in social media. The platform wants to tap into the vast Catholic online market that Read more
Scholars have expressed doubt over the authenticity of a scrap of papyrus suggesting that Jesus had a wife. Karen King, a professor of early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, presented on Tuesday a 4th century fragment of papyrus that supposedly provided the first evidence that some early Christians believed Jesus was married. An Associated Press Read more