The Hollywood-style funeral of a notorious mobster in Rome has seen anti-Mafia campaigners demanding to know why police and the Catholic Church allowed it. The funeral of Vittorio Casamonica, 65, on August 20 featured a gilded horse-drawn carriage, flower petals tossed from a helicopter and theme music from “The Godfather”. The coffin was draped with Read more
An archbishop and an auxiliary bishop of the same US archdiocese have both resigned after the archdiocese became mired in sex abuse controversy. The resignations of Archbishop John Nienstedt, 68, and Bishop Lee Piché, 57, of St Paul-Minneapolis were announced by the Vatican on Monday. The move came 10 days after prosecutors brought criminal charges Read more
An American archbishop has testified that he is unsure whether he knew in the 1980s that sexual abuse of a child by a priest was a crime. But a statement from St Louis archdiocese has hit out at coverage of Archbishop Robert Carlson’s remarks, saying they were taken out of context. During a court deposition last Read more
On Friday night I felt like I was playing a part in a movie. I’d come to Santa Barbara six months ago from Wellington on a student exchange. I was really excited to become immersed in the Californian lifestyle. I wanted to go surfing, to drink Californian wine, and have fun at the “Number Two Read more
The Leonardo Express rumbles from Rome’s airport right to the city centre. After 32 minutes, it arrives at its final destination, Termini, the city’s central station. An ad in a pedestrian tunnel at the station reads, “Roma Termini — a Place to Live.” Some have taken the message quite literally. It’s 11:10 p.m. Stranded people Read more
One of Italy’s best known anti-mob prosecutors is warning the Mafia is considering Pope Francis as a target. Nicola Gratteri says the Mafia is upset by the Pope’s efforts to make the Church more financially transparent. For years the Mafia has laundered money and made investments, taking advantage of the connivance of the Church, he said. Gratteri’s comments Read more
Pope Francis has revamped the Vatican criminal code, extending it to apply to employees of the Holy See anywhere in the world. The revised code includes provisions covering the theft and publication of confidential documents and money-laundering, and provides for the freezing of financial assets. It also strengthens provisions against child abuse, specifying that Vatican Read more
Those who believe in Hell are less likely transgress again leading to lower crime rates. So concludes a study by by Azim Shiraf at the University of Oregon and Mijke Rhemtulla at the University of Kansas who compared rates of crime with rates of believe in heaven and hell in 67 countries. The study acknowledged Read more
A University of Oregon psychologist has found that a country’s belief in heaven and hell is related to its crime rates, and that a belief in a punitive God equals less crime while a belief in a forgiving saviour means more crime. “It seems like there is a case to be made for the causal Read more
THE 42nd Pacific Islands Forum came and went, but Pacific youth advocates are pleading with leaders to wake up to the increasing number of young people involved in crime and violence in the Pacific.