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Homeless, Buddhists and Caritas: Taiwan’s national holiday in the name of ‘Fratelli tutti’

On October 10 is the national holiday of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Usually, the Taiwanese embassy to the Holy See invites friends and personalities to a gathering with a generous buffet. This year, in response to Pope Francis’s encyclical “Fratelli Tutti,” the way of celebrating the 109th anniversary of the Republic has radically changed. […]

Pakistan teen’s abduction, conversion sparks Christian outcry

A teenage Christian girl was kidnapped and forced to marry her Muslim abductor in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, her family says. A local Muslim man is accused of abducting 13-year-old Arzoo Masih while she was playing outside her home in Karachi’s St Anthony’s Parish. The Catholic girl is the youngest of four children in […]

Vatican number two says deal with China on appointment of bishops will be renewed

The deal, which was first signed two years ago and expires, will be renewed for another two years, he said. Asked by reporters on the sidelines of an event at a Rome university if it was a done deal, Parolin said: “Yes, I can anticipate to you that all will go well… I’ll leave you […]

Rights groups slam Pakistan senator’s forced conversion denial

Rights groups have condemned a Pakistani senator’s claim that a fact-finding team led by him could not find any proof of forced conversions among religious minorities in the Muslim-majority nation. Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar is head of a parliamentary committee set up to look into the increasing incidents of Muslim men kidnapping Hindu and Christian girls […]

Sri Lankan woman arrested for insulting Cardinal Ranjith

Police in Sri Lanka have arrested a 43-year-old woman on charges of spreading hate between Buddhists and Catholics after she posted a video making various allegations against Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colo-mbo. Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department arrested the woman on Oct. 18 in capital Colombo, police spokesman Ajith Rohana told media. The video released […]

China’s ‘underground’ Catholics wary of Beijing-Vatican deal

The Communist Party is officially atheist and exercises strict control over all recognised religious institutions, including vetting sermons. The provisional deal, signed in September 2018, allowed both Beijing and the Holy See a say in appointing bishops, in an attempt to close the schism in China’s 12-million-strong Catholic community. An announcement extending the deal is widely […]

Pope announces 13 new cardinals

Pope Francis announced he will create 13 new cardinals on Nov. 28, including Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Washing-ton. The Pope made the announcement at the end of his Angelus address on Oct. 25, telling the crowd in St Peter’s Square the names of the nine cardinals under the age of 80, who will be […]

Former spiritual director of ‘Medjugorje visionaries’ excommunicated

A laicized priest who had been the spiritual director to six people who said they experienced visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje has been excommunicated. Tomislav Vlasic, who had been a Franciscan priest until he was laicized in 2009, was excommu-nicated on July 15 by a decree of the Congregation […]