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MARY IS NOT A CO-REDEMPTRIX SAYS POPE FRANCIS

“You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you,” Gabriel the Archangel tells Mary, in a greeting traditionally called the Annunciation, which is remembered today, March 25, in many churches that follow a church calendar. This week Pope Francis has reminded Catholics that Mary is honoured as the mother of Jesus but “not as co-redeemer”. […]

Cardinal Schönborn: Same-sex blessings “will not be denied”

A senior Churchman in Vienna and member of the Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, says he is “not happy with this statement from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith” – the watchdog’s official name – regarding the Church’s power to bless same-sex unions. The Church has no such power, the CDF said […]

Iranian Convert Couple Face Prison Summons

An Iranian Christian convert couple faces summons for their prison sentences any day. Homayoun Zhaveh, age 62, and his wife Sara Ahmadi, age 42, were sentenced in November 2020 as members of a house church on national security charges. Homayoun, who also suffers from advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease, was sentenced to two years, while […]

First woman secretary of Vatican Biblical Commission

On March 9, Pope Francis appointed Spanish biblical scholar, Sister Nuria Calduch-Benages, as secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. She expressed her surprise and gratitude in this interview with Vatican News. Sister Nuria has dedicated her life passionately to the study of the Bible. She teaches Old Testament at the Pontifical Gregorian University and is […]

Sri Lanka announces burqa ban, to shut 1,000 madrasas

Sri Lanka will soon ban the burqa or face veil, a Cabinet Minister said on Saturday, as he announced the Rajapaksa administra-tion’s latest policy decision impacting the minority Muslim community. Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara said authorities would henceforth use the controversial Prevention of Terrorism (PTA) law — that human rights defenders have termed ‘draconian’— […]

One in 8 Russians plan to observe Lent this year

Almost one in eight Russians intend to observe Lent this year, and the proportion among Orthodox Christians reaches 17%, according to the findings of a VCIOM poll obtained by Interfax. Asked whether they had heard about Lent, 51% of respondents said they had heard something, but did not know exactly on which dates it falls […]

Pakistani courts reconsider blasphemy penalty cases

Christian human rights groups in Pakistan are urging local courts to reject Sharia punishments for the blasphemy accused in the Muslim majority country. Last week, a Peshawar High Court bench issued notices to the attorney general for Pakistan and provincial advocate general over a petition seeking orders for the government to remove the option of […]

Hate speech the norm in Pakistan, church study claims

A new study published by a bishops’ commission highlights the psychological impact of hate speech on religious and sectarian minorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province. “Hate speech in Pakistan is accepted as a norm. One of its immediate effects is that people experience a loss of self-esteem. There is a constant fear among minority community members […]