International

Pope shares with U.S. bishops his frustration with reaction to Amazon text

Pope Francis told a group of U.S. bishops that, like them, he is accused of not being courageous or not listening to the Holy Spirit when he says or does some-thing someone disagrees with – like not mentioning married priests in his document on the Amazon. “You could see his consternation when he said that […]

Middle East patriarchs discuss plight of Christian minorities with Pope Francis

Six Catholic patriarchs from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Feb 7, 2020 to discuss the difficulties faced by Christians in the region and their mass emigration. In the morning of Feb. 7, the Pope met Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon; Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, […]

Russian Church plans to end blessing nukes

The Russian Orthodox Church has proposed a stop to the practice of having priests bless weapons of mass destruction, though sprinkling holy water on planes and ships is still deemed appropriate. The Church on February 3 published a draft document out-lining its role in blessing Orthodox Christians who “protect the Fatherland” and “carry out their […]

Pastor apologizes for words ‘hurtful to Muslims’ in homily on immigration

A Minnesota pastor has apologized after remarks he made about Muslim immigration and Islam being “the greatest threat in the world” sparked controversy. “My homily on immigration contained words that were hurtful to Muslims. I’m sorry for this,” said Father Nick Van Den Broeke, pastor of Immaculate Conception in Lonsdale, which is south of the […]

Pompeo announces new alliance for religious freedom

A new International Religious Freedom Alliance with 27 member states was announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Pompeo said that the alliance would include “like-minded partners who treasure, and fight for, international religious freedom for every human being.” According to the alliance’s official description, it “will advocate for freedom of religion or belief for […]

German lay leader condemns cardinal for opposing ‘synodal way’

A leading lay Catholic in the German city of Cologne has openly condemned his own archbishop for voicing concerns over the ongoing “binding synodal process” underway in the country. Tim Kurzbach, chairman of the Diocesan Council of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Cologne issued a public denunciation of Cardinal Rainer Woekli, accusing the cardinal of […]

Germany’s synodal assembly a step to rebuilding church’s credibility

Catholic leaders in Germany have compiled responses from lay Catholics in areas related to who holds power in the church, sexual morals, the role of priests and the place of women in church offices in preparation for an upcoming Synodal Assembly to debate church reforms. More than 940 suggestions and questions had been submitted by […]

Around the world, 260 million Christians face persecution

Christian persecution around the world is a growing problem, says a new report from an agency that documents abuses against Christians across the globe. Worldwide, the report states, 260 million Christians are facing persecution. This marks a 6% increase from the previous year. The annual report from Open Doors, released on Jan. 15, rank-ed North Korea first […]

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Youth taught to use social media to become Good Samaritans

Pakistan’s oldest priest passes away at 97