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As Vatican ponders China deal, expert says it’s brought ‘little fruit’

As the Vatican sits poised to renew its historic agreement with China on the appointment of bishops later this month, one of the Catholic Church’s leading experts on Chinese affairs has argued that while the desire for dialogue is understandable, there is still nothing to show for the deal two years later. “I understand the […]

Hong Kong cardinal warns priests to ‘watch your language’ in homilies

The leader of the Diocese of Hong Kong has instructed priests to avoid politics in homilies and admonishing them for “offensive” and “provocative” preaching. The warning comes amid a crackdown on free expression in Hong Kong, after the implementation of the new National Security Law in July. A letter, obtained by CNA, was sent from […]

Sri Lanka, Card. Ranjith: No to religious or ethnic political parties

Religious and ethnic parties must be banned: they do nothing but divide the country, says Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, in his homily for the National Day of the Sick, delivered in the basilica of Our Lady of Lanka in Tewatte. Referring to the Easter attacks last year, and to the slow progress in […]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, another Christian arrested for blasphemy. The 42nd in a month

On 30 August a Pakistani Christian was arrested on charges of blasphemy in Nowshera (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). It is the 42nd case of its kind recorded in August in the country, a real record according to the Naya Daur (New Era) website. David Masih’s arrest occurred three days after a video – which went viral – […]

Activists shocked after Asia Bibi dissociates herself from autobiography

Human rights activists were shocked after Asia Bibi dissociated herself from her autobiography, due out later in September. Bibi, the Catholic woman acquitted of blasphemy in 2018 after spending eight years on death row in Pakistan, sparked controversy with an Aug. 31 interview with Voice of America Urdu, reported ucanews.com. “I wasn’t involved in its […]

Researchers Find Christians in Iran Approaching 1 Million

Missiologists have long spoken of the explosive growth of the church in Iran. Now they have data to back up their claims—from secular research. According to a new survey of 50,000 Iranians—90 percent residing in Iran—by GAMAAN, a Netherlands-based research group, 1.5 percent identified as Christians. Extrapolating over Iran’s population of approximately 50 million literate […]

Salvadoran imprisoned for 1989 killings of 5 Jesuit priests

A former colonel of the Salvadoran military, Inocente Orlando Montano Morales, has been convicted in a Spanish court for is participation in the murder of five Jesuit priests in 1989. Montano has been sentenced to more than 133 years in prison. The former colonel was El Salvador’s vice-minister for public security during the civil war […]

Pope ready to sign new encyclical for post-Covid age

Pope Francis is to release a new encyclical which is expected to focus on what the world should look like following the Covid-19 pandemic. The 83-year-old Roman Pontiff will travel to Assisi to sign the document, in what will be his first trip outside of Rome since the Coronavirus struck Italy. His visit to the small Umbrian […]