Pope Benedict has encouraged to world to display a courageous showing of brotherhood in face of the global economic crisis. In times when people are left searching for hope, people need to be able to rely on “the courage of of brotherhood,” the pontiff told the Italian branch of Caritas. Lamenting the divide between rich Read more
“Jesus Christ” can be used again in txt message in Pakistan after the Church, politicians and a digital media group combined their efforts to influence the decision to ban the words. The Pakistan government withdrew the name of Jesus Christ from a list of censored words compiled on a ‘black list,’ that it identified as obscene, Read more
Ireland’s Prime Minister Enda Kenny wants high journalistic standards restored at RTE, Ireland’s National Broadcaster, after its ‘Prime Time Investigates’ current affairs programme made false allegations against Irish Mill Hill priest, Fr Kevin Reynolds. RTE accused Reynolds of fathering a child with a minor while working as a missionary in Africa. Ireland’s Communications Minister, Pat Read more
The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences last week concluded a meeting to address growing concerns in Asia over sexual abuse within the Church. Conference organizers barred access and refused comment to journalists attempting to cover the event. A letter posted by the Federation’s Office of the Clergy in January invited “cardinals, archbishops, bishops and formators” Read more
Pope Benedict has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law, archpriest of St Mary Major, a prominent Roman basilica. Nine years ago, after the clerical sex abuse scandal forced his resignation at Archbishop of Boston, John Paul II appointed Law as archpriest of one of Rome’s most important churches. Cardinal Law, who turned 80 this Read more
Christians in Iraq continue to be scared of fresh violence, according to Fr Amir Jae, the superior of the Dominican order in Baghdad. Jae, who is also vicar to the Arab World told Aid to the Church in Need that “Living in Iraq means living in fear.” There is nowhere people can feel safe and Read more
Amid outrage that the German Catholic church’s publishing business, Weltbild, was distributing risqué titles, the Catholic bishops have agreed to sell the business “without delay.” The bishops decided on the move because Weltbild’s book range includes steamy pulp novels with titles like “Boarding School for Sluts,” “The Lawyer’s Whore,” “The new Kama Sutra” and “Tempted to Sin.” In a Read more
Following on from a new translation of the Mass in English, Vatican Insider reports the Congregation for Divine Worship will establish a new team to regulate church architecture and promote singing in the liturgy. The team will be tasked to put a stop to garage-style churches and boldly shaped structures and, it is reported, will have Read more
The backlash over Benetton’s ad campaign featuring the Pope and other world leaders continues to grow. On Friday, the Vatican announced it will be taking legal action against Benetton after the company displayed a fake photo of the pope kissing a top Egyptian imam on the lips, and Benetton ceded. Protesting the use of US President, Read more
A new book claims St Padre Pio used carbolic acid to cause his stigmata. The book “Padre Pio: Miracle and Politics in a Secular Age,” by Italian historian, Professor Sergio Luzzatto, has discovered documents including a letter from a pharmacist who arranged carbolic acid for Pio. A report in the Telegraph says Luzzatto suggests that the Read more