An advertising campaign using a fake image of Pope Benedict kissing a top Egyptian imam on the lips has been pulled after protests from the Vatican. The “Unhate” campaign, sponsored by the Benetton clothing company, was aimed at fostering tolerance and ‘global love.’ Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi denounced the ad as ‘false’, and an Read more
Global efforts to increase access to clean water favours the middle-classes and ignores most of those in need. WaterAid Charity says a global plan to halve the number of people without access to sanitation by 2015, is failing so badly that some of the world’s poorest countries will not have this basic necessity for another Read more
Priests in the Dublin diocese are facing a 9% reduction in their income this year. This is on top of a 6 per cent pay cut last year. The 9% cut is due to falling returns from church collections which provide for the salaries of priests in the area. The basic income for a priest Read more
The Dutch Catholic Church has ordered an 81 year old priest to leave his partner of 46 years or be forced to quit the priesthood. The Den Bosch diocese in the central Netherlands said Jan Peijnenburg’s relationship with Threes van Dijck (85) was unacceptable to other priests. “We are giving him the choice: either he leaves Read more
President Obama met recently with New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, president of the US Catholic bishops’ conference, to discuss issues that have created tension between the administration and the Catholic hierarchy, reports The National Catholic Reporter. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops feels at odds with the Obama administration and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia told students last Read more
A Connecticut judge recently ordered a divorcing couple to disclose their Facebook and online dating passwords. The soon-to-be-ex-husband and wife, Courtney and Stephen Gallion wont just be giving up their investments, cars, TV’s and children, but also their Facebook passwords. It is well known evidence from social networking sites is useful for divorces, and their Read more
A new free iPhone application called Ignio is an innovative way for Catholics to encourage young people in their faith. Ignio – “ignite” in Latin – is a free app which tracks users’ religious activity. The App tracks everything from reading Scriptures to posting prayers – and reflects it in the flame of a virtual candle Read more
Spice up your sermons, is the message Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi is giving to priests. Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said that priests who used theological language that was formulaic and boring risked making the gospel irrelevant. Grey, dull and flavourless sermons need to be livened up with graphic stories and scandal contained within the Bible, Read more
In his weekly editorial, Vatican spokesman, Fr Federico Lombardi SJ, welcomed the birth of baby number 7 billion into the world. “Dear baby number 7 billion, I don’t know if you are a girl or a boy, whether you are Indian or Chinese, born in a great city or a tiny village. I don’t know if Read more
A woman who dreamed of becoming a nun has been crowned the winner of Miss World 2011, reports the Daily Mail. Ivian Lunasol Sarcos Colmenares who was orphaned at a young age said she spent five years in a convent, and now she said she wants to use her title to help other people. She Read more