International

Paris archbishop hits back in first post-fire Mass in Notre Dame

Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit took the occasion of the first Mass in Notre Dame cathedral since its 15 April fire to remind the French that the now closed building was a house of prayer and not just a national heritage monument. Aupetit and about 30 worshippers wore white hard hats during Mass in the Chapel […]

Vatican official praises Catholic media for coverage of sex abuse crisis

In a remarkably frank and detailed speech, the Vatican official heading the department charged with reviewing clergy sexual abuse allegations told an assembly of Catholic journalists on June 19 that his investigators and the press “share the same goal, which is the protection of minors, and we have the same wish to leave the world […]

More French Catholics officially renouncing their faith

Requests to officially renounce the Catholic faith, known traditionally as apostasy, have been on the rise in France, a sample survey by La Croixconfirms. And the survey suggests that the practice is linked to publicity over controversial issues such as clerical sex abuse. But the numbers involved are relatively small compared to some media reports […]

Franco Zeffirelli, enigmatic Catholic director of operas and film, dies

Franco Zeffirelli, the famed film director and film, television and opera producer, died on June 15, 2019, in Rome at the age of 96. He was born out of wedlock near Florence, Italy, in 1923. His mother, a widow, was not able to give him her married surname or that of his father, so she […]

Defying canon law, Capuchins elect lay brother as their leader

Capuchins aren’t generally known for being on the Church’s avantgarde, but the friars of the Mid-America Province just did something which, technically, they’re not supposed to do according to canon law. And, frankly, they’re pretty proud of it. They elected Brother Mark Schenk, a lay friar, as their provincial minister. The problem lies with Canon […]

UN declares special day to remember victims of violence against religion

On May 28, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing on August 22 as the Day to Commemorate Victims of Violence Based on Religion. The resolution invites all member states, relevant organisations, civil society, individuals and the private sector to observe the international day and show appropriate support for victims of religiously motivated violence. […]

Francis: Leaders who talk of peace but sell arms will face ‘wrath of God’

Discussing the Syrian civil war on June 10, Pope Francis said God hears the cry of orphans and widows, and that His wrath will be visited on those who deal in arms trafficking while speaking of peace. “I think with sadness, once again, of the drama of Syria and the dense clouds that seem to […]

US gun ‘idolatry’ demands more prophetic church stand, some Catholics say

A total of 35,141 people die from gun violence in the United States each year, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which averaged deaths over a five-year period through 2018. That’s 96 people each day. According to the centre: 1,24,760 people are shot every year; 17,207 children and teens are shot every […]

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Archbishop of canterbury justin welby endorses rome call for ai ethics

Auschwitz martyr may be declared a doctor of the church