A reputedly first-hand account of the Three Wise Men, who came to bring gifts to the child Jesus, has been found in the Vatican archives. According to a Times article in The Australian, the new account suggests there were “scores” of Magi, rather than just the three wise men bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Read more
As rescuers struggle with the scale of the Philippines disaster, Church and local government officials are appealing for aid to help Filipinos’ in the wake of tropical storm Washi. Among items needed are bottled water, medicines food supplies and kitchen goods, Fr Albert Mendez of the Iligan Diocese said. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez Read more
The Catholic bishops in the Netherlands have offered “sincere apologies” to more than 20,000 victims of sexual abuse in the Netherlands. Archbishop of Utrecht Wim Eijk apologised to victims on behalf of the entire Dutch Catholic church. He said the report “fills us with shame and sorrow.” “It’s terrible.” Eijk’s apology comes after a damning Read more
British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on Saturday, ventured into faith world, saying “moral neutrality is not going to cut it any more.” In a speech to mark the 400th birthday of the King James Bible, Cameron declared Britain ‘a Christian country’ and said politicians and church leaders should not be afraid to say so. The “passive Read more
The Vatican is playing down comments that Pope Benedict is looking thinner, tired and weak. However people who have spent time with him and watching his every movement say they do perceive him weaker, seemingly too tired to engage. Benedict’s frailty was first highlighted a few weeks ago when, like John Paul II in his Read more
Catholics should include sins against the environment when they visit the confessional said the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council on Friday. Father Stephen Alathara, spokesman for the KCBC, said the council had finalized its ecological mission statement, which included the directive about confession, during its annual meeting in Kochi. “Any exploitation of nature amounts to sins against Read more
In a surprise statement, Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and Deputy Prime Minister, Eamon Gilmore, said Ireland would respond positively if Pope Benedict made a state visit. Gilmore was addressing the Foreign Affairs Committee on the closure of embassies in the Vatican, Timor and Iran. He took the opportunity to re-state that the reason for closing Read more
A South Korean Christian group is permitted to light up massive steel Christmas trees near the border with the North, despite North Korea warning South Korea of “unexpected consequences”. Following the warming of ties, South Korea halted its tradition of lighting up Christmas trees in 2003, but the South lit a tower last year as relations deteriorated Read more
Sr Mary Eliza of Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was released from prison without any charges today. The court also ordered the release of Sr Mary’s passport and all documents of the Prem Nivasa (House of Love) convent seized for the purposes of an investigation into alleged irregularities at the home for pregnant Read more
Prayer should not center just on asking God to fulfill one’s hopes and desires, but must include praise, thanks and trust in God’s plan which may not match one’s own, Pope Benedict XVI said. The way Jesus prayed to his Father “teaches us that in our own prayers, we must always trust in the Father’s Read more