A Nigerian bishop has said that Jesus appeared to him in a vision and indicated that praying the Rosary would rid the nation of Boko Haram terrorists. Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri diocese, in Borno State, recounted the details of his vision to a conference in Spain this month. The Catholic News Agency reported Read more
Pope Francis on Sunday condemned two suicide attacks on churches in Pakistan and accused the world of “seeking to hide” the persecution of Christians. Fourteen people were killed and more than 70 were injured when two Taliban suicide bombers attacked the churches in Lahore on Sunday. At his weekly Angelus address, Pope Francis said it Read more
Young people are turning to Jihad because mainstream religion is not “exciting” enough, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Justin Welby told faith leaders earlier this month that Britain’s religious communities must do more to provide an alternative to extremism which gives young people a “purpose in life”. He also warned against being too Read more
ISIS is no more Muslim than the Irish Republican Army was Catholic, the Archbishop of New York has said. During an interview on CNN, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said: “The IRA claimed to be Catholic. They were baptised. They had a Catholic identity.” But, he continued, “what they were doing was a perversion of everything the Read more
The head of Vatican security says ISIS militants have threatened the Vatican, but there is no sign of any planned attack. The commander of the Vatican gendarmes, Domenico Giani, said security patrols of the Vatican perimeter are always on high guard. “There are not only the threats of the Islamic State, but also the risk Read more
The French government has proposed a plan for dialogue with Muslims which is based on a model it uses to liaise with the Catholic Church. The plan would promote an Islam “faithful to the values of the republic”. The official council of French Muslims has been unable to deal with the challenges presented by Islamist Read more
Militants claiming loyalty to the Islamic State (ISIS) have declared that they intend to conquer Rome. The warning came in a video apparently showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians next to the Mediterranean Sea in Libya. In the video, an English-speaking militant said they are sending a message “from the south of Rome”. At Read more
France’s Catholic Church has refused to sign a media declaration that challenges faith groups to give unreserved support for free speech. The declaration, proposed by the group Reporters without Borders (RSF), came after French religious leaders last week backed free speech, but stated it had to be exercised responsibly. The issue comes in the wake Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Church recognises the urgency of responding to the threat of ISIS in the Middle East, but it is important that powers under the anti terror laws were not misused in other situations. New Zealand’s Catholic Bishops and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand say the Countering Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill is being rushed Read more
Critics are saying the new anti terrorism laws are being rushed through Parliament too quickly. There was widespread support in parliament at the first reading stage of the Countering Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill which passed its first reading on Tuesday by 107 votes to 14. There is some concern being expressed however at the limited time available for Read more