In a joint St Patrick’s Day statement, Northern Ireland’s church leaders said they have not done enough in the past to heal divisions. Reflecting on the century since Northern Ireland’s partition, they say they hope this centenary year will provide opportunities to create a better level of mutual understanding. The Protestant and Catholic leaders went Read more
When did the church commit itself to better relations between Muslims and Catholics? I suppose the church really committed to dialogue and positive engagement at the Second Vatican Council, with the famous declaration on the relationship of the church to non-Christian religions, “Nostra Aetate.” There’s a paragraph in there dedicated to Islam and opening up Read more
Within an hour of Pope Francis arriving in Iraq, U.S. President Joe Biden was calling the visit a “symbol of hope for the entire world.” “Pope Francis’s visit was a historic and welcome first for the country,” Biden said. “It sent an important message, as Pope Francis said himself, that ‘fraternity is more durable than Read more
Pope Francis says his four-day visit to Iraq was a “pilgrimage of peace.” The first Catholic pope to visit Iraq, Francis’s history-making four-day trip began in Baghdad last Friday. His key message stressed peace in Iraq where wars, terrorism and sectarian conflicts have plagued it over several decades. “May there be an end to acts Read more
Pope Francis Social Encyclical: ‘Fratelli Tutti’ was launched at the Vatican, Sunday 4 October, 2020. The document focuses on fraternity and social friendship as the ways to build a better, more just and peaceful world – with the contribution of all: people and institutions. The official summary follows, with a link to download the full Read more
October 4, Pope Francis signed his new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti during a visit to Assisi. The encyclical calls for a new kind of politics and emphasises social friendship as a way to build a more just and peaceful world. It encourages the contribution of all people and institutions and seeks to build a global movement Read more
Psalm 27:12 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will Read more
They came with a message of peace and left enriched by the same. A group of international peace runners traversed roads from Coromandel to Whangamata over a week that was memorable for everyone. The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run is a global relay seeking to inspire the creation of a more peaceful world. Eleven runners Read more
As Pope Francis beging the thirty-second trip of his pontificate Nov. 19 to Thailand and Japan, he will once again be visiting nations where Catholics are a small minority. In both countries, there’s one Catholic for every 200 people, as opposed to roughly one for five in the United States. The Nov. 19-26 trip will Read more
For experts and locals alike, it seems Pope Francis’s upcoming visit to Thailand and Japan will not only highlight the Vatican’s strong ties with interreligious communities in each country, but it could also help the pope advance his ecological and peace-making agenda. Speaking to Crux, Adul Smanyaphirak, a Muslim living in Bangkok, said that for Read more