The American Catholic bishops have created a virtual WYD pilgrimage experience, launching a Website and Facebook page to help those staying at home participate in World Youth Day 2011. On the website, users can create an avatar and use it to participate in the “pilgrimage” coinciding with the August 16-21 worldwide youth gathering. A Google map Read more
Cured after a single, six-week cycle of chemotherapy – a recovery that, Maria Esposito says, stunned her doctors and convinced her that the World War II-era pope had intervened with God to save her. Church officials’ however remain skeptical. Maria Esposito was ready to give up. Wasted away at 42 kilos, she couldn’t bear another Read more
The Holy See has pronounced automatic excommunication on Father Paul Lei Shiyin of Leshan, who was ordained a chinese bishop without papal mandate last week. A priest and Church observer outside China who asked not to be named said the move was taken for the good of the Church and followed a stern warning by Read more
Ireland’s Religious Orders have so far failed to pay their share of the compensation for their part in the institutional child abuse settlements for victims. In 2002 the Irish Government brokered a deal which saw the Orders involved awarded indemnity against all legal claims by institutional abuse victims if they paid 120 million euros (NZ$208m) Read more
Computer hackers from Europe recently targeted St Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines, Iowa and stole more than NZ$800,000, according to CBS News. It was money ear-marked to help out the homeless and abused women. “You kind of have to take a deep breath and you have to trust in the Lord,” Richard Pates said. “Why Read more
Shorter church services on Sunday are an important consideration if churches are going to attract prospective non-regular church-goers according to Church of England Bishop of Lichfield, Johnathan Gledhill. “Clergy should aim to keep the time of worship to no more than 50 minutes,” Gledhill said, opining that worship has become “too complicated, leaving people who are Read more
Meditation halves the rate of heart attacks, strokes and the rate of death according to a nine-year scientific study. The results published in the Archives of Internal Medicine provide hard data from the first long-term randomised clinical trial of its kind on the topic. “These findings are the strongest documented effects yet produced by a Read more
The Catholic bishops in the Philippines who took a Mitsubishi Pajero or gambling money from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Organisation (PCSO) have committed a ‘sin’ but the acts are not ‘criminal’ according to House Minority leader Edcel Lagman. Lagman called the reception of these gifts “morally offensive.” “The Catholic Church is way too rich to Read more
The Consulate-General of Saudi Arabia has written to the New Zealand Government to complain after two incidents in which Saudi Arabian women were told by bus drivers that they couldn’t board a bus because of their Muslim veil. Dr Sameer Aljabri, the husband of one of the women, who works at the Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission in Auckland, said Read more
Australian Catholic University vice-chancellor Professor Greg Craven has called for a renewed age of Catholic public intellectualism to promote and defend Church values and teaching. Catholic intellectuals should weigh into public debate, along with the bishops, he said. “If you send an aircraft carrier out without a destroyer flotilla, you deserve everything you get,” he Read more