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Historic church in Vietnam destroyed by fire

Catholics in a northern diocese of Vietnam were shocked to see a fire destroying one of the oldest churches in the country. In the early hours of Aug. 6, firefighters failed to put out the fire, which devastated the wooden interior and the tiled roof of the Trung Lao Church, leaving only the walls intact. […]

Can the church change its focus from rules to people?

Religion News Service takes a look at a couple of interesting issues that have surfaced recently. The first has Pope Francis proclaiming a fourth route to sainthood. Giving one’s life for someone else, even if it is not in defense of Christianity can now lead to sainthood. The example given is that of Maximilian Kolbe, […]

1 in 10 Protestant Churches Has Had Money Stolen: Survey

About one in 10 Protestant churches has had someone embezzle funds, according to a new survey by LifeWay Research, which says it could be due to churches’ reliance on volunteers to handle their finances. 9% of pastors say that their church has witnessed embezzlement of funds, while 91% say they are not aware of any […]

Brazilian bishop was robbed at gunpoint at gunpoint

Police are investigating after a Brazilian bishop was robbed at gunpoint in his home. Archbishop Antônio Muniz, the Archbishop of Maceió, was at his residence in the Farol neighbourhood, awaiting the arrival of Deacon Inaldo Pitta, before the assault happened at around 5.40 am. Abp Muniz and Deacon Pitta had planned to travel jointly to […]

Vatican threatens Belgian order allowing euthanasia

A brusque reversal by the Belgian province of the Order of the Brothers of Charity (1) has led to a lively polemic. The order has previously always refused to practise euthanasia, which has been legal in Belgium for nearly fifteen years. But in a document addressed to hospital management and staff of its fifteen psychiatric […]

Excommunication could be tool for fighting corruption, organized crime

A Vatican consultation group will consider initiatives to bolster the fight against corruption and organized crime, including by looking at possibilities for excommunicating members of the Mafia and other criminal organizations. The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development published an outcome document Aug. 2 highlighting anti-corruption proposals that came out of the Vatican’s first […]

Euthanasia responsible for 4.5 % of deaths in the Netherlands

Euthanasia has become a common way to die in the Netherlands, accounting for 4.5% of deaths, according to resear-chers who say requests are increasing from people who are not terminally ill. In 2002, the Netherlands became the first country in the world that made it legal for doctors to help people die. Both euthanasia, where […]

Ugandan church to boycott Anglican meet over gay rights

The Anglican Church in Uganda is leading a rift with the global co-mmunion over LGBT rights. There are deep divisions over the largely pro-LGBT Western churches and hardline anti-gay Anglican chur-ches in Africa and the Global South, reports PinkNews. While the Canadian, Scottish and American churches have embraced gay bishops and same-sex unions, many African […]