Powerful Vatican Cardinal Becciu resigns amid scandal
Rome, ItalyAP The powerful head of the Vatican’s saint-making office, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, resigned suddenly Thursday from the post and renounced his rights as a cardinal amid a financial scandal that has reportedly implicated him indirectly. The Vatican provided no details on why Pope Francis accepted Becciu’s resignation in a statement late Thursday. In the […]
If world handles climate like COVID-19, UN chief says: “I fear the worst”
New York City, USReuters The United States, China and Russia fought on Thursday during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the coronavirus pandemic after UN chief Antonio Guterres had warned the body that if the climate crisis was approached with the “same disunity and disarray” of COVID-19, then: “I fear the worst”. Guterres said […]
In the US, priest supports whistleblower allegations at ICE facility as Christian leaders weigh in
RNS An Episcopal priest who volunteers at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centre in the US state of Georgia has said allegations of medical neglect and a high rate of hysterectomies at the facility are consistent with her interactions with women detained there. “There were gynecological procedures happening at a rate that seemed higher […]
Cities promise to divest from fossil fuels to boost green recovery
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation The mayors of 12 big cities in North America, Europe and Africa pledged on Tuesday to shift their money out of fossil fuels and into green energy, buildings, transport and other investments to help them recover from the pandemic and tackle climate change. The group of cities, which signed up to […]
Trendspotters: “Spoonvilles” brighten up lockdown days
DAVID ADAMS reports on the Spoonville craze…
Sudanese church leaders call for speedy implementation of key peace pact
As South Sudan joined the world in celebrating the International Day of Peace on 21st September, the country’s church leaders urged speedy implementation of a key peace pact known as the Revitalised – Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. The agreement – signed by the government and opposition parties on 12th […]
Texas United Methodists take up call to replace denomination’s logo over association with racist imagery
RNS It’s known in the United Methodist Church as the “Cross and Flame.” But the denomination’s logo – two red flames intertwined with a thin, black cross – means something else to Rev Edlen Cowley, pastor of Fellowship United Methodist Church near Dallas. It reminds Cowley, who is Black, of the first burning cross he […]
Twin ‘crises’ of climate and COVID hammering millions, Red Cross says
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Weather disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have simultaneously hit tens of millions of people worldwide this year, making them more vulnerable to both threats and hampering emergency response, the Red Cross said on Wednesday. In a new analysis, the international humanitarian agency said about 70 per cent of the 132 disasters linked […]
Immunisation ethics: How the quest for a COVID-19 vaccine raises healthy questions and thoughtful responses
Three Australian prelates recently raised concerns over the origins of one of the proposed coronavirus vaccines. JO KADLECEK looks at the ethical issues involved…
People who are highly spiritual tend to be more civic-minded – US report
RNS People who identify as highly spiritual are more likely to say it’s important to make a difference in their communities and contribute to the greater good, a broad new study on American spirituality finds. The study, “What Does Spirituality Mean to Us?,” found that 86 per cent of Americans identify as spiritual to some […]