The Atheist Foundation of Australia is urging Australians with no religious affiliation to tick the “no religion” box in the up-coming census. Billboards urging Australians with no religious affiliation to tick the “no religion” option have begun to appear around parts of NSW and the foundation has launched a website urging Australians to tick the “no religion” Read more
Instead of a quote, an Israeli man may have just applied the most unusual use for a QR (quick response) code: he has put one on his mother’s headstone. Yoav Medan, an Israeli medical technology executive, couldn’t find just the right message for his mother’s headstone but after deliberating with his family, Medan broadened his Read more
Priests in Ireland who with-hold information about alleged child abuse, even when told to them in the Sacrament of Confession, will soon be liable for up to five years prison. The new laws are an unprecedented display of tough action against the Catholic Church, in what was traditionally a Catholic country. “The law of the land should Read more
Popular Facebook identity, Franciscan Brother, John Mary Ignatius recommends not using Facebook to evangelise in the traditional sense of the word, making religious announcements and proclamations to the masses. Br Ignatius, the Facebook Monk, has more than 3,500 friends on Facebook and he says that making religious announcement and proclamations to the masses as “offensive”. Read more
In the light of News of the World phone hacking, L’Osservatore Romano editor-in-chief is calling for better info ethics in the field of journalism. “What happened has been very unfortunate and News of the World was just the tip of the iceberg,” editor-in-chief Gian Maria Vian told CNA. Vian said that the mounting scandals involving Read more
Developers of a new fertility monitoring system claim it is as effective as in-vitro fertilization in helping women become pregnant. It could allow better treatment for the infertile without using drugs, invasive techniques or unethical means. New Zealand-born Shamus Husheer, founder of the company Cambridge Temperature Concepts, told the Wall Street Journal that six months’ Read more
Cardinal Jose Policarpo of Lisbon has issued a statement clarifying remarks he made on women’s ordination during an interview with the Portuguese Order of Lawyers. The cardinal wants to clearly explain his position “as bishop and pastor of the People of God.” Cardinal Policarpo, who was elected president of the Bishops’ Conference of Portugal in Read more
Bishops in the Philippines have apologised “for the pain and sadness” caused after some bishops accepted donations from the state run Charity Sweepstakes Office. The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Bishop Nereo Odchimar, also said that the seven bishops involved were ready to “face the consequences” if they were found to Read more
Australian Muslims want interest-free loans for religious reasons, and recognition of sharia law as it applies to banking practices and family law. These are the main outcomes from a survey of Australia’s Muslim leaders and revealed by the Sun Herald newspaper. Imam Yusuf Parker, from the Alhidayah Centre in Perth, said Islam forbade the charging or Read more
Close to 1 million Spaniards received help from Caritas to meet their basic needs in 2010. 300,000 were assisted for the first time 74% of those seeking aid were families 70% of those requesting assistance came after receiving little aid from government-run social services this is nearly 550,000 more than reported three years ago. Caritas Read more