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Ethiopia: Hundreds reportedly dead after massacre at Orthodox church

At least 750 people are reported dead after an attack on an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, according to a European watchgroup. On Jan. 9, the Europe External Programme with Africa reported that the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum, about 80 miles west of Adigrat, had been attacked, and […]

Pew study: A third of US Catholics say their faith strengthened during pandemic

More than a third of U.S. Catholics say their own personal faith has become stronger during the coronavirus pandemic, and 3 in 10 Catholics believe the virus has strengthened the religious faith of other people in the country, according to a study released Jan. 27 by the Pew Research Centre. Overall, 28% of Americans said their own […]

Let’s End Violence Against African Christians in 2021

As this new year begins, it’s obvious that America is facing many challenges—some old, some new. And they most certainly cannot be taken lightly. However, those of us who focus on international religious freedom also concentrate on concerns beyond our shores, and a look at Africa’s recent history in the rear-view mirror reflects terrifying images. […]

Cardinal Danish bill requiring translation of homilies threatens religious freedom

A cardinal said on Jan 22 that a proposed law in Denmark requiring the translation of all homilies into Danish is a threat to religious freedom. In a Jan. 22 statement, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), objected to the bill demanding that all addresses in […]

After Israel, Will Morocco Normalize with Christians?

President Donald Trump’s Abraham Accords have been singular in focus—build Middle East peace upon Arab states establishing full relations with Israel. And although not officially linked, three of the four nations to normalize with the Jewish state this year received something from the United States in return. The first, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was cleared […]

Newly-professed US religious ‘young and highly-educated’

Most religious men and women who professed their perpetual vows in 2020 are highly educated, come from a Catholic family background, and have first considered vocation at a relatively young age. This is according to new research conducted by the Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). The research was commissioned by the U.S. […]

For Ash Wednesday, Vatican asks priests to ‘sprinkle’ ashes on heads

The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacra-ments asked priests to take special anti-COVID-19 precautions this year when distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, inclu-ding sprinkling ashes on the top of people’s heads rather than using them to make a cross on people’s foreheads. The congregation’s note on the “distribution of ashes in time […]

What has changed in canon law for women?

Most Catholics, who grew up seeing women at the altar reading from the Bible and serving at Mass, wondered what was improved when Pope Francis changed canon law this month, purportedly to allow women to participate in such services. Although women have been taking care of these ministries at local bishops’ discretion, they were barred […]