International

Council of Cardinals studies Vatican constitution amendments

Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals met online on December 1 to continue work on the new apostolic constitution to govern the Roman Curia, according to a Vatican statement. The seven cardinals and an archbishop secretary are studying “observations, amendments, and proposals received from the dicasteries consulted in recent months” regarding the draft of the new […]

Muslim Migrant Beheads Madonna Statue

The 31-year-old Palestinian, who dismembered the statue of the Virgin late on December 1 in the Piazzale Giovannacci, is being held in the Gradisca D’Isonzo repatriation centre in Gorizia, northeastern Italy, waiting for deportation procedures to be completed. The Islamic iconoclast intentionally stoned the head and hands of the statue to sever them from the […]

Pope tells new cardinals to expect God who is close against the slumber of mediocrity and indifference

Pope Francis led Mass November 29 Sunday. In his homily he noted that it “is the season for remembering” God’s closeness, a time to “be watchful” so that we can escape the “slumber of mediocrity” and the “slumber of indifference.” The Holy Father concelebrat-ed the service with the new cardinals he created Consistory, marking the start of Advent. […]

Pope’s United Nations envoy hypes dialogue with Muslim World League

The Vatican is stepping up its alliance with a pan-Islamic organization alleged to have provided “material support” to al-Qaeda’s 9/11 terrorist operation as well as to have funded terrorism and the global propagation of hardline Wahhabi Islam. As part of recent efforts at re-branding its image through “religious diplomacy,” the Saudi-sponsored Muslim World League (MWL) hosted the […]

Switzerland’s Catholic bishops lament record exodus from Church in 2019

Bishops in Switzerland lamented a record exodus of Catholics from the Church in 2019. The new figures, released on Nov. 19, revealed that the Catholic Church lost 31,772 members in 2019 – equivalent to 1.1% of the total membership of the Catholic Church in Switzerland. This marked a 25% increase on the previous year, when […]

Multiple Beheadings in Mozambique: Is the World Indifferent?

On November 10, Al Jazeera posted a breathtaking headline: “ISIS-linked attackers behead 50 people in northern Mozambique.” The subhead was equally horrifying: “Witnesses say the assailants herded victims onto a football pitch in the village of Muatide where the killings were carried out.” In the midst of a pandemic, and in the throes of a highly contested […]

Catholic Hong Kong media mogul: ‘Freedom has a price’

In the words of Jimmy Lai, “freedom has a price.” That’s why the Chinese media mogul and activist is leaning on his Catholic faith for support as he faces potential prison time and continues the fight for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong. Speaking at the Acton Institute’s 30th anniversary virtual celebration, Lai, who runs […]

Spain’s bishops meet as religious freedom threatened in the country

With the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops holding a virtual fall assembly, the bishops of Spain are also holding their fall gathering. On the agenda for the Spanish bishops are Europe’s rising populist currents, and a bill in Spain that threatens religious education. In his opening speech, the conference president, Cardinal Juan Jose Omella of […]

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