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How Pope Francis is looking at ways to feminize the Church

When Pope Francis met members of the International Theological Commission last November, he wasted no time telling them what was on his mind. “There’s something I don’t like about you, excuse my frankness,” he said as he entered the small lounge adjacent to the Paul VI Audience Hall. “One, two, three, four women – poor women! They […]

The Moscow Patriarchate is imploding, says Russia expert

“We are witnessing the beginning of an implosion of the Moscow Patriarchate, even in countries historically linked to the Russian Orthodox Church,” says Antoine Nivière, author and professor of Russian history, religion, and culture at the University of Lorraine (France). He says this is largely due to Patriarch Kirill’s staunch support of Vladimir Putin and […]

Pakistani bishop hails court rejection of anti-Christian pogrom whitewash

The president of Pakistan’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference has welcomed a Supreme Court decision to reject a government report into the authorities’ response to attacks described by Church leaders as the “worst incident against Christians” in the nation’s history. Bishop Samson Shukardin praised Pakistan’s highest court which threw out the government report on the attacks in […]

Harmonising Sharia and Malaysia’s constitution by the end of the year

The Malaysian government has set 31 December as the dead-line for individual states to harmonise Sharia (Syariah, Islamic law) with the constitution to iron out the differences between Quranic rules and the country’s constitutional framework. For many observers, the deadline is too short, but it has reignited a debate over the place of secular and […]

Inauguration of the new St Joseph major seminary in Hanoi

The Archdiocese of Hanoi held the inauguration ceremony of its new major seminary named after St Joseph in Hoàng Nguyên parish, on February 26. Built in just one year, the five-storey building covers a total area of 10,000 square metres and is home to some 40 seminarians who moved in after the start of the […]

Husband’s cancer leads Japanese woman to faith By Mariko Terada

Junko Kusanagi found support in the form of the priests and laity at her local parish as she deepened her bonds with them. Junko Kusanagi, 49, lives in Tokyo with her Catholic husband, 53, and nine-year-old son . She says that her husband’s illness led her to faith, and that it has been “the start […]

Religious leaders from countries at war: respect the sacredness of lives and places of worship

Leaders of five different religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism) from 15 different countries marked by wars and conflicts. Together gathered around a table to reflect on their task as men of faith in promoting peace this week in Tokyo as part of the Second Round Table for Peace. The round table is convened by […]

Indian court pulls order that triggered Manipur ethnic riots

The High Court in India’s northeastern Manipur state on Feb. 22 deleted a paragraph from a controversial order that reportedly resulted in unprecedented ethnic riots in the state, killing some 175 people mostly Christians. The Manipur State High Court deleted part of the March 2023 order that directed the state government to send a recommendation on ‘Scheduled Tribe’ status […]