Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) wants the European Union and the United States to help get humanitarian aid to Syria. The charity says it is unable to make money transfers to the local Church despite humanitarian exemptions to sanctions against Syria. ACNs call for help came on the 10th anniversary of Read more
The president of the German Catholic bishops’ conference said he will continue to give Holy Communion to Protestants who ask for it. Bishop Georg Bätzing said it was necessary to respect the “personal decision of conscience” of those seeking to receive Communion. CNA Deutsch reported that Bätzing responded to a question about a controversial proposal Read more
Romanian Catholic archbishop Aurel Percă believes, “there is a need to form a ‘post-COVID-19’ generation that will establish a different kind of relationship between people.” Percă has never led his archdiocese in normal times. He was installed as Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest in January 2020, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic engulfed Romania. In a Feb. Read more
An Irish Catholic bishop’s tweet about assisted suicide has been restored after Twitter deleted it. Twitter said the tweet was removed for “violating our rules against promoting or encouraging suicide or self-harm.” In his 31 January 2021 tweet, Bishop Kevin Doran expressed opposition to efforts to legalize assisted suicide in Ireland. “There is dignity in Read more
The economy of the Holy See should be transparent like a house of glass, says Vatican Secretariat for the Economy prefect Fr. Juan A. Guerrero SJ. He made the comment when the Secretariat released the 2019 balance sheet for the Roman Curia last Thursday. “We want the budget to explain how the Holy See uses Read more
Attacks on French churches have moved back up to their “normal” level after a reduction during the country’s March 17 to May 11 lockdown. A spokesperson for an organization led by young Catholics, Protège ton église (Protect Your Church) says during the pandemic attacks continued on a smaller scale. This was despite the lockdown rules Read more
The first international organ festival will be held under the nearly 2,000-year-old dome of Rome’s Pantheon and above the relics of early Christian martyrs. The melodies of Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers will be played on the organ this month in an effort to use beauty to reconnect people with the mystery of God. Read more
There has been a significant rise in adult baptisms in Belgium. This year 305 adults will be baptized – 61 more than in 2019. The number of adult baptisms in Belgium has been growing for several years. There were 143 in 2010, 180 in 2015, 244 last year and over 300 this year. Although the Read more
Places of worship in Ireland have been exempted from the country’s indoor gathering restrictions. The relaxation of the rules responds to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin’s concerns about the feasibility of enforcing the restrictions. Ireland’s Phase Three set a limit of 50 people for indoor gatherings and 100 people for outdoor gatherings. In Phase Four Read more
Pope Francis has ordered a Polish bishop to leave his diocese and let someone else run it. Bishop of Kalisz, Edward Janiak must stay away while he is being investigated for covering up sexual abuse cases. He will retain the title of bishop for the meantime, however. The cases Janiak allegedly covered up featured in Read more