The Coptic Christian Archdiocese of America has distanced itself from an anti-Muslim film “The Innocence of Muslims,” that has sparked protests in more than 24 countries. “We reject any allegation that the Coptic Orthodox community has contributed to the production of this film,” the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese said in a statement Friday, denouncing the Copts who reportedly Read more
A Vatican consultant with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications has now released the iBreviary for the Kindle. Already available for the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Windows Phone 7, and Android, iBreviary contains the complete Roman Missal, all prayers of the Daily Office, Mass readings and all prayers said and sung during Mass throughout the liturgical years. Read more
More than three quarters of British MPs believe that changing the law on euthanasia, assisted suicide, is not a priority at the moment. The findings reported in The Telegraph show that opposition to assisted suicide among British MPs has strengthened markedly in the current Parliament, boosted by the presence of more Conservative members. The Poll Read more
The Vatileaks report has been on the Pope’s desk for three weeks according to Vatican Insider’s well-informed sources. The three ‘detective-Cardinals’, Julian Herranz, Jozef Tomko and Salvatore De Giorgi presented the Pontiff with a hefty dossier containing mostly transcriptions of hearings in question and answer form. The content, which is being kept top-secret, is said to give Read more
Liverpool is the first diocese in England and Wales to commission lay people to preside at Catholic funerals. The commissioning of 22 lay people is an effort to relieve pressure on priests. “In some of our parishes in the diocese priests are being asked to celebrate over 120 funerals each year,” Archbishop Kelly wrote in Read more
The Dalai Lama has told his Facebook followers that “religion is no longer adequate” to satisfy all the ills of the world. The Tibetan Buddhist leader, who has 4.3 million Facebook fans, posted this status update on Monday last: “All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can Read more
Pope Benedict XVI called for unity and reconciliation in the Middle East during his visit to Lebanon over the weekend. “May God grant to your country, to Syria and to the Middle East, the gift of peaceful hearts, the silencing of weapons and the cessation of all violence,” the pope said in a prayer at Read more
On the eve of his visit to Lebanaon, many Shiite and Sunni clerics are putting out the welcome mat to Pope Benedict. The clerics are hoping Benedict’s visit will strengthen coexistence and help allay Christian fears over their fate in a region in tumult. Noting that Muslims and Christians alike have concerns about the rapid Read more
An Italian company “Reputation Manager” has published a study claiming to show that Pope Benedict is having difficulty on the Web getting his message across. The study, published on “Expansion”, shows that unlike the Dalai Lama, almost half of the Holy Father’s online content has a ‘negative tone’ and a ‘prejudicial impact’. The research was Read more
Bishop of Kansas City, Robert Finn, convicted of a misdemeanour charge for failing to report suspected child abuse, must either resign or be removed, according to an editorial in NCR. NCR says that if Finn were a layperson he would not be allowed to volunteer at a Kansas City parish, teach a religious education class Read more