Pope issues sweeping decree holding bishops accountable for sex abuse or cover ups
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis issued a landmark decree on Thursday making bishops directly accountable for sexual abuse or covering it up, requiring clerics to report any cases to church superiors and allowing anyone to complain directly to the Vatican if needed. Tackling sexual abuses that have battered the Catholic Church’s reputation has been a major […]
Australian rugby player Israel Folau takes a hit in the pocket as his wait continues
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Israel Folau’s protracted dismissal by Rugby Australia looked no closer to a conclusion on Thursday but the 30-year-old was already being hit hard in the pocket for his decision to post a social media message many viewed as homophobic. While the panel that on Tuesday adjudged Folau had been guilty of a ‘high […]
BOOKS: ONE ANGLICAN PRIEST’S JOURNEY INTO CONTROVERSY
DAVID ADAMS reads Australian Anglican priest Fr Rod Bower’s memoir, ‘Outspoken’…
Migration of young Nigerians represents a “failure of leadership”, says cardinal
The migration of young Nigerians represents a “failure of leadership”, according to Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja. Speaking to Agenzia Fides earlier this week on the eve of a meeting of bishops on the issue of migration, Cardinal Onaiyekan accused authorities of creating conditions which ensure more and more young people are driven to seek […]
At least 159 individuals and organisations prosecuted for violating anti-missionary restrictions in Russia during 2018, say Forum 18
At least 159 individuals and communities were prosecuted for violating Russia’s controversial “anti-missionary” restrictions in 2018, according to an analysis by Forum 18. The Oslo-based religious freedom organisation said there at least 56 cases involving organisations and 103 involving individuals reached court during the year with 129 of them resulting in fines. Of the 14 […]
Global obesity rising faster in rural areas than cities, study finds
LondonReuters Global rates of obesity among people who live in the countryside are rising faster than those among city dwellers, in part due to greater access in urban areas to healthier foods and places to exercise, researchers said on Wednesday. In a study of 33 years of trends in body mass index (BMI) across 200 […]
AUSTRALIA: TREATY CONFERENCE PROVIDES UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR A RECONCILING CHURCH
CHRISTOPHER GILBERT reports from a conference on ‘Christianity and Treaty’ held in Sydney last weekend…
Politics no laughing matter in poverty-hit Zimbabwe
Harare, ZimbabweThomson Reuters Foundation In a country where open criticism of power can spell trouble for journalists, politicians and activists, comedians say they, too, risk consequences – arrest even – for taking aim at the authorities or satirising the hardships of daily life. The long-awaited end to President Robert Mugabe’s rule in 2017 had raised hopes of a more open society, […]
LIFESTORY: WITH HER LIFE ON HOLD, AN IMMIGRANT WOMAN IN THE US MARKS TWO YEARS IN SANCTUARY
YONAT SHIMRON, of Religion News Service, meets Juana Luz Tobar Ortega…
Sand mining ‘mafias’ destroying environment, livelihoods: UN
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Sand mining is eroding the world’s river deltas and coastlines, damaging the environment and hurting livelihoods from Cambodia to Colombia, as government regulation fails to keep pace with rising demand, the United Nations warned this week. Global demand for sand and gravel, used extensively in construction, is about 50 billion tonnes or an […]