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‘Never Again’ must a genocide happen

This week-end we mark two very significant anniversaries which are interlinked and inter-dependent and matter to the entire world. Saturday is the 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention. On Sunday is the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Within the Asia region alone, at least two genocides are being committed right now. Both began […]

Pope: no plans to resign, to be bured in St. Mary Major

Not so much a decision, much less a revolution, it is a promise Pope Francis made to the Virgin Mary: “I want to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore. The place is already ready.” Pope Francis, 87 years old next week, on 17 December, revealed his intention to Mexican broadcaster N+, while also explaining that […]

Hong Kong activist says desire for freedom led her to flee to Canada

Chow, who was jailed in 2020, said in her statement that she made her decision “consi-dering the situation in Hong Kong, my personal safety, my physical and mental health.” “Perhaps I will never go back again in my lifetime,” she said. In 2021, Chow was released from prison in Hong Kong after serving more than […]

Pakistan bishops’ new leader vows to challenge blasphemy laws

Vowing to pursue a program of “justice and peace,” the newly elected president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference says that agenda will include speaking out against the country’s controversial blasphemy laws. Critics allege that those laws, which criminalize blasphemy against state-recognized religions, are often abused to oppress religious minorities in the over-whelmingly Muslim nation, […]

Illegal organ trafficking: an investigation accuses an Indian hospital

One of India’s largest private hospital companies is believed to be involved in an organ trafficking operation, an investigation published this week by the English The Telegraph newspaper reported. According to the investigation, several poor citizens from Myanmar were transferred to Delhi’s Apollo Hospital (one of two hospitals in the capital run by the Indraprastha Medical […]

Vatican panel celebrates declaration of human rights anniversary

As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is celebrating its 75th birthday, the Vatican’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, organized a symposium that aimed to focus on both human rights and care for creation. The Dec. 8 symposium, co-sponsored by the Sovereign Order of Malta, Caritas in Veritate Foundation, and the International Catholic […]

How 1 in 4 Countries Restrict Religious Conversion

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has released a new report on anti-conversion laws around the world. Providing the legal text for 73 separate laws, the compendium notes that 1 in 4 nations (46 total) restrict the right of its people to either adopt or propagate a religion. “The right to convert from one religion […]

Orphan rescued by Mother Teresa promotes cause of Minnesota nun

Pointing toward the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto at the Saint Benedict Monastery cemetery in St.Joseph, Minnesota, 61-year-old Patrick Norton recounts the day 13 years ago when he was painting light posts in front of a statue of the Blessed Mother and encountered who he believes was Sister Annella Zervas, OSB. Zervas, a Benedictine sister, […]