Catholic bishops who are in Rome for a synod on New Evangelization have expressed concern over Islam’s growth and are worried about Christian minorities in Muslim countries, a Reuters report quoted participants’ of the synod. One participant was quoted as saying that Islam had become the “buzzword” of the synod that ends this weekend. “It’s Read more
The 25th Synod of Bishops began Sunday, this one dedicated to “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.” New evangelization is the apple of Pope Benedict XVI’s eye, so the synod, held every couple of years or so since 1967, is being touted by the Vatican, along with the Year of Faith Read more
The Catholic Church in Ireland has denied a report in the Irish Catholic newspaper that plans are being drawn up to allow parishes to hold lay-led Sunday services. But, across the Irish Sea, the archdiocese of Liverpool is preparing to have lay people conduct funeral services and committals at the graveside when no priest is Read more
The Zambian Catholic bishops are opposing a proposal to identify Zambia as “a Christian nation” in the preamble to a new national constitution. A statement from the bishops’ conference says “a country cannot practise the values and precepts of Christianity by a mere declaration” and, in any case, it would contradict the fact that “Zambia Read more
No fewer than three members of the Catholic hierarchy in the United States have spoken up for Catholic vice-presidential contender Paul Ryan, while refraining from endorsing his controversial candidacy. The first was Ryan’s own bishop, Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin. Clearly concerned at attacks on Ryan since he was named Republican contender Mitt Romney’s Read more
How should bishops conduct themselves in the public square? The question is especially urgent today when so many divisive issues, including contraception mandates and same-sex marriage, complicate the nation’s politics. Economic concerns still dominate the public’s interest, but it is these hot-button issues that get people’s blood pressure rising. The question is urgent for another Read more
South Africa’s Catholic bishops have condemned killings of striking miners at a platinum mine in Marikana. They called for a judicial inquiry into the circumstances that led to the violence. Thirty-four people died and 78 were injured when police opened fire on striking miners gathered on a rocky outcrop at the mine, 60 miles northwest Read more
The rising incidence of HIV/Aids in the Philippines has prompted the Archbishop of Manila to call for greater awareness among Catholic clergy, religious and lay people. While new cases of HIV/Aids are decreasing globally, Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle said they are increasing in the Philippines, with an average of nine reported each day. “What is Read more
Distances and demographics combine to tell the story. Three-quarters the size of the United States, Australia is mainly uninhabited except along its coastline. While the U.S. shelters close to 313 million people, latest Australian census statistics report only 22 million persons on the continent’s nearly 3 million square miles. Australia’s Christians — mainly descendants of Read more
In the US, it’s an election year, and the atmosphere is toxic. The incumbent president Barak Obama is up for re-election in November. The Republican primaries have taken a lot of airtime. One of the contested policy issues is Obama’s 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA). Many of the US Catholic Bishops have been critical of Read more