The head of the Russian Orthodox Church is visiting Poland to meet the nation’s Catholic bishops and sign an unprecedented joint declaration of reconciliation. Patriarch Kirill I will sign the declaration with Archbishop Józef Michalik of Przemysl, president of the Catholic bishops’ conference, at Warsaw’s Royal Castle on August 17. “The purpose of this document Read more
The pro-life movement in the United States is mourning the death of Nellie Gray, the founder of the annual March for Life in Washington, DC — probably the world’s largest annual pro-life event. The charismatic octogenarian, once described by Cardinal Sean O’Malley as the “Joan of Arc” of the pro-life movement, was a ubiquitous figure Read more
Avoiding a direct confrontation with the Vatican, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States has opted for dialogue with the archbishop appointed to supervise a reform of the group. The decision to enter into a “conversation” with Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle was announced at the end of the LCWR’s annual assembly Read more
Ethiopian athlete Meseret Defar took the Virgin Mary with her when she won gold in the women’s 5000-metre race at the London Olympics. As soon as she crossed the finish line she pulled a representation of an icon of the Virgin Mary and Jesus out from under her track top, showed it to the cameras, Read more
Every Catholic should become a “new evangeliser”, the president of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation has told a conference in Sydney. Being an evangeliser, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, is a vocation “born on the very day of our baptism and it is a vocation to every believer in Christ to make of himself or Read more
Mitt Romney, the Mormon who is the likely Republican candidate for the presidency of the United States, has crafted a religiously unique election ticket by choosing Catholic congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. His vice-presidential choice is well-known for his pro-life advocacy and his conservative economic views. Explaining his pro-life position, Ryan has said: Read more
Violence on the Israeli-Egypt border has opened up an opportunity for Egypt to rescue African asylum seekers who are being kidnapped on the Sinai Peninsula, according to the Catholic bishops of the Middle East. Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has declared that Egypt will “control all parts of Sinai”, where clashes have been occurring between militants Read more
Catholics who own businesses in the United States are pondering how to get around a health insurance dilemma caused by a new federal mandate. The mandate, introduced by President Barack Obama, requires their health insurance plans to cover contraception, sterilisation and abortion drugs. It came into effect for secular employers on August 1, but religious Read more
A terrorist attack on an evangelical Christian church in central Nigeria, in which at least 20 people including the pastor were killed, has been followed a day later by a similar attack on a mosque. The assault on the main mosque of Okene showed the true nature of the terrorist attacks by the Islamist insurgency Read more
An international survey has recorded a dramatic decline in religious faith among the Irish over the past six years. Between 2005 and 2011, the proportion of Irish people declaring themselves to be religious dropped from 69 to 47 per cent — a percentage drop in religiosity exceeded only by the Vietnamese. Over the same period, Read more