International

The Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo, Bishop Audo: after 12 years of war, the earthquake falls on us like a new bomb

“Now it is even more important to be close to the people, who are terrorized by this earth-quake.” For Jesuit Antoine Audo, Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo, “among the many we have had, this is a disaster that, so to speak, we are not used to. After 12 years of war, this is a new tremendous […]

Ukraine Catholic Church moves from Russian-affiliated Julian calendar

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church announced Feb. 6 that that the world’s largest Eastern Catholic Church will change liturgical calendars this fall, changing the date of several liturgical feasts, as Ukrainian Christian distance themselves from the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. The move means that Ukrainian Catholics will begin this year […]

Muslims Rebuke Archbishop on ‘Gay Blessing’

Muslim leaders in England are rebuking the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, over the Church of England’s proposal to teach school children that same-sex unions are valid. The admonition coincides with Pope Francis’ trip to South Sudan. He was accompanied by the archbishop of Canterbury and the moderator of the Church of Scotland — both […]

Ukrainian Greek Catholics to celebrate Christmas on December 25

As from this year, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) will be celebrating Christmas on the 25 December, and not on January 7, and the Epiphany on 6 January instead of the 19th. The switch of dates is part of a major change decided last week by the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, moving away […]

Nicaragua frees 222 dissidents, expels them to US

Over 200 detained members of Nicara-gua’s opposition were freed on February 9 and expelled to the United States, in a surprise move by the Central American country’s increasingly authoritarian president, Daniel Ortega. After weeks of quiet talks with Washing-ton, Nicaragua allowed the 222 detainees – which include former challengers to Ortega – to board a […]

New Syrian Catholic archbishop tells how he survived captivity by Islamic State

Whose appointment as archbishop was confirmed by Pope Francis on Jan. 7, shared the difficult times he spent being held hostage by the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group and the importance of the “spirit of forgiveness.” In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language sister news agency, Father Jacques Mourad, elected archbishop of Homs, Syria, […]

How steep is Poland’s drop in Mass attendance?

Around 28% of Poland’s Catholics attended Mass in 2021, according to the latest official statistics. The new figures were said to indicate a ”dramatic fall” in church attendance in one of Europe’s most Catholic countries. On Jan. 13, the Institute for Catholic Church Statistics (ISKK) released its 2021 “Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae in Polonia,” a yearly numerical overview […]

Church tensions are not new or all bad, says Cardinal Hollerich

Pope Francis did not need to launch listening sessions for the Synod of Bishops for people to discover there are tensions in the Catholic Church, said the cardinal serving as the synod’s relator general. “We do not need the synod in the Catholic Church in order to experience tensions,” Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, relator […]

Indian bishops slam terror attack on tourists in India’s Kashmir

No action taken against police who assaulted Catholic priests in India