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Church leaders warn Filipinos of martial law ‘horrors’

Church leaders have called on Filipinos never to forget the “horrors” of martial law, which was imposed across the country almost half a century ago. The declaration of martial law by late president Ferdinand Marcos resulted in thousands of human rights abuses. Amnesty International recorded over 100,000 victims, with at least 70,000 people arrested, 34,000 […]

India cracks down on foreign donations

Christian leaders in India are complaining that the nation’s pro-Hindu government is placing unfair restrictions on voluntary organizations receiving foreign funding. The federal home ministry on Sept. 16 announced changes to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The new rules require all chief functionaries of voluntary groups to sign affidavits that they have not been […]

Indian prelate urges dialogue with Hindus over ‘forced conversion’

For almost a decade under St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, then-Monsignor Felix Machado was a primary architect of the Vatican’s inter-religious outreach, including putting together a star-studded 2002 summit of religious leaders in Assisi as a follow-up to John Paul’s historic, and deeply controversial, first such gathering in 1986. Machado, born in […]

German ‘synodal way’ is rapid response to abuse scandal, conference says

The bishops of Germany, reacting to an independent study of the extent of clerical sexual abuse in their country and its possible causes, chose to initiate a “synodal” process that was not a Synod or a plenary council. Building on a series of “listening sessions” the bishops held from 2011 to 2015, “we did not […]

Amazon abp backs ordination of married priests

Specifically, the bishop backed the ordination of married men as priests in the Amazon, supporting the idea of calling viriprobati, or tested married men, into the priesthood to serve isolated rural communities. Archbishop Rafael Cob of the Diocese of Puyo believes that an Oct 6-27 Synod of Bishops on the Pan-Amazon region convened by Francis […]

Synods are not for deal-making, but for listening to Spirit, pope says

Before a Synod, bishops must learn what their people want and think and need, not so they can change church teaching, but so they can preach the Gospel more effectively, Pope Francis told the bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Forty-seven bishops from Ukrainian dioceses in Ukraine and 10 other nations, including the United States, […]

Evangelical missions a major threat to Amazon culture, Catholic leaders say

Historically a Catholic country, Brazil has been facing a religious transition since the 1990s, when what had been a steady growth of Evangelical Protestantism began to accelerate. According to some experts, Brazilian Evangelicals could become a majority in the country as soon as 2032. This phenomenon is particularly strong in the Amazon, where some states […]

Jesuit devil debacle draws fire from exorcist across ecumenical lines

Father Erich Junger, an Anglican exorcist, has joined the chorus of those voicing concern over recent comments by Jesuit Father General Arturo Sosa saying the devil is not a real person, but a symbol. Speaking to Crux, Junger, a member of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), said that while he is not a […]