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Iraqi cardinal sets out conditions for return to Baghdad

Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako said in the Aug. 1 letter that he would only consider returning to the Iraqi capital if President Abdul Latif Rashid formally recognized him as the leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church and the holder of all its endowments. Sako relocated July 21 to Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region weeks after Rashid revoked a […]

Pope Francis: ‘Spiritual worldliness’ one of greatest dangers facing priests, the Church

Spiritual worldliness is one of the most dangerous temptations facing priests and the Church because it “reduces spirituality to appearance” while disconnecting it from the Gospel, Pope Francis warned in a recently released letter to the priests of Rome. “[Spiritual worldliness] leads us to be ‘workers of the spirit,’ men clad of sacred forms that […]

Faith leaders warn Kenya is on ‘downward spiral into the abyss’

Faith leaders in Kenya are warning against continued violent demonstrations, saying they could lead the country on the path to self-destruction. Demonstrations this week against the high cost of living have left at least 23 people dead, according to a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, Jeremy Laurence. “The UN Human Rights Office is […]

African bishops oppose military intervention to end coup in Niger

Following the July 26 coup in Niger, Catholic Bishops of the Burkina-Niger Episcopal Conference have expressed concern that a military intervention in the African nation could unravel the fragile security situation in the Sahel, leading to a further spread in jihadism. In an August 4 release signed by the President of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop […]

Don’t be afraid to change the world, pope tells youths at WYD closing Mass

To end “Catholic Woodstock” – as World Youth Day has been called by the Portuguese press – Pope Francis told 1.5 million weary-eyed and sleep-deprived young people in Lisbon not to let their “great dreams” of changing the world be “stopped by fear.” In his homily for the closing Mass of World Youth Day Aug. […]

Hindu nationals demand arrest of Catholic priest in India for saying king was not a god

A Catholic priest in the Indian state of Goa was granted “anticipatory bail” Aug. 8 after police registered a criminal case against him for allegedly “hurting Hindu sentiments” in remarks he made about a Hindu king during a Sunday Mass in July. Hindu groups had staged demonstrations in front of the police station calling for […]

Indian pastor attacked for alleged religious conversion

A Protestant pastor in a northern Indian state has been attacked for allegedly conducting religious conversions. Pastor Shyju Joseph was conducting Sunday worship on Aug. 6 at his place in Bihar state’s Nawada district. Members of the Bajrang Dal (brigade of Lord Hanuman), a Hindu nationalist organisation, disrupted the service after accusing him of converting […]

Rahul Gandhi’s reinstatement restores faith in judiciary: Christians

The return of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to the Indian Parliament 135 days after his disqualification has reassured people’s faith in the Indian judiciary, say some Christian intellectuals. Gandhi, who represented Kerala’s Wayanad constituency in the Lok Sabha, was reinstated August 7 after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in a criminal defamation case. Gandhi […]