Thousands of Vietnamese Catholics took part in vigils in the cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, and Vinh on Sunday to protest the continued imprisonment of Le Quoc Quan, a Catholic lawyer. AsiaNews reported that Le Quoc Quan, a member of the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Vietnamese bishops’ conference, has been harassed Read more
Researchers from the University of Illinois wanted to test a previously-held theory that introverted people who suppress emotions about sex and depravity are more creative than people who are more open and extroverted. They discovered that Protestants, or people who grow up in a Protestant communities, can channel suppressed emotions more effectively than their Catholic Read more
As Pope Francis prepared to fly to Brazil for World Youth Day, a new study showed that the proportion of Catholics in the country — which has the world’s largest Catholic population — has dropped steadily in recent decades. With Catholicism losing ground especially among the young and city-dwellers, only 46 per cent of the Read more
Devout married Catholics have the best sex of any demographic group, according to a collection of studies cited by the Family Research Council in the United States. A University of Chicago survey found the most enjoyable and most frequent sex occurring among married people, those who attended church weekly and people who had the fewest Read more
“Given our common roots, a Christian cannot be an anti-Semite!” Pope Francis has declared to a delegation from a broad-based coalition of Jewish organisations representing Judaism to other religions. The Pope said Christians and Jews can work together to challenge the contemporary problems of secularism and disrespect for the human person. “Humanity needs our joint Read more
Catholics cannot hope to achieve unity with other Christians if they cannot be united themselves, Pope Francis has told a general audience. “How can we have Christian unity if we are unable to find unity among us Catholics? To have unity in our families? How many families are fighting? Seek unity,” he urged. Speaking to Read more
I travelled several hours on a bus recently. 50 people all travelling in one direction: a pilgrim people. 50 people all in one vessel. Some in front: others loving the back. Some by the window. Some alone: others in pairs or groups. Some wanting interaction: others seeking ‘personal space’. All adapting to their time in Read more
I read … “I am amazed how often I meet people who ‘once were Catholics’. You never ask why they left the church. There will be umpteen reasons why just as there are umpteen people. But millions have remained true to their Catholic faith.” Merepeka Raukawa-Tait in The Daily Post, March 19, 2013 I wondered Read more
In two television interviews aired on Easter Sunday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said Catholics should show more love to gays and lesbians. In an ABC interview he was asked, “What do you say to a gay couple who says, we love God, we love the Church, but we also love each other and Read more
Easter will be five weeks late for Catholics in the Holy Land. Easter Sunday will be on May 5 because the Catholic Church will celebrate Easter according to the Orthodox calendar. For pastoral and ecumenical reasons, the Latin Patriarchate of the Holy Land has decided from this year onwards to follow the Orthodox liturgical schedule. Read more