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Admission Free, but Churches Empty. Dreams and Realities of a Pontificate on the Wane

The Church “does not have doors”, and therefore everyone can come in, but truly “everyone, everyone, everyone, without any exclusion.” This is the message on which Pope Francis insisted most during his travel to Lisbon, in the run-up to a synod that – in its “Instrumentum laboris” – puts at the top of the list of those […]

White Father and Seminarian abducted

In north central Nigeria, a Missionary of Africa – Fr. Paul Salongo – was kidnapped alongside a Seminarian, Melchior, from the parish of St Luke Gyedna, in Niger State’s Paikoro government area. On August 3, the bandits entered, firing into the air, from the parish residence, and removed the White Father and the Seminarian. The […]

As fewer Americans identify as Christian, funeral industry says demand for cremation is on the rise

The head of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), which claims to be the world’s largest association of funeral professionals, says traditional burials are less popular and the demand for cremation is on the rise. The reason? According to NFDA President Jack Mitchell, it’s because fewer Americans are likely to be churchgoers. “Traditionally when someone […]

Pakistan drops controversial minority rights bill

The Pakistan government has dropped a bill meant to protect the interests of its religious minorities on Aug. 9 amid civil society organizations calling for a stronger law to protect basic human rights. The National Assembly, Pakistan’s lower house, passed the draft law — the National Commission for Minorities Bill, 2023 — on Aug. 7. […]

A rare visit to an ‘underground’ church in China

As we know China has both official state-sanctioned churches (Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association) and unofficial underground churches that maintain their allegiance to the Vatican. Even though it is hard to estimate the total number of Catholics in China, figures always tend to range between 10 to 12 million. To address the historical division between them, […]

Pro-Beijing bishops seek ‘sinicization of Catholic seminaries’

Leaders of China’s state-run church say seminary formation, including textbooks used in seminaries, should be aligned with the government’s sinicization policy. Their concerns were expressed at the latest meeting of the Working Group on the progress of the compilation of “unified teaching materials” in Catholic seminaries in Pingliang city in Gansu province in eastern China. […]

Seoul after Manila: WYD returns to Asia in 2027

Thirty-two years after Manila, World Youth Day (WYD) will return to Asia. Seoul will in fact host the event in 2027, while Rome (Italy) will organise the jubilee of young people in August 2025. Pope Francis made the announcement this morning in Lisbon at the end of the final Mass of the great gathering that […]

Like the UAE, Saudi Arabia might cancel Friday holiday

Will Saudi Arabia make Friday a working day? A proposal to that effect has sparked heated debates and elicited strong opinions. It is also proof that things are changing in Islam’s birthplace, home to its two holiest cities, Makkah and Madinah. The Okaz newspaper recently published an op-ed titled “Friday is a working day”, breaking […]