Top German Catholic bishop urges shift on women’s ordination, homosexuality
RNS Bishop Georg Bätzing, the current president of the German national conference of Catholic prelates, called for a more inclusive church on Tuesday, suggesting that the Catholic hierarchy could shift its positions on women’s ordination and homosexuality. According to the Catholic News Service, Bätzing, who heads the Diocese of Limburg, near Frankfurt, told a German […]
Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca: Which COVID-19 vaccine could reach developing countries first?
Thomson Reuters Foundation Britain on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca as it battles a major winter surge driven by a new, highly contagious variant of the virus. Britain has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine, and the government said it had […]
Bill legalising abortion passed in Pope’s native Argentina
Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAP Argentina’s Senate passed a law legalising abortion in Pope Francis’ homeland early Wednesday after a marathon 12-hour session, a victory for the women’s movement that has been fighting for the right for decades. The vote means that abortion will be legalised up to the 14th week of pregnancy, and also will be […]
WHO, marking year since COVID-19 began, urges fair vaccine distribution to all
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The head of the World Health Organization, marking a year since the first cases of the novel coronavirus were reported by China, urged countries on Wednesday to ensure that vaccines are made available to people at risk everywhere, not just in rich nations. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, appealed for $US4 billion to […]
Britain first to approve AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine
London, UKReuters Britain on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca as it battles a major winter surge driven by a new, highly contagious variant of the virus. AstraZeneca said the authorisation was for a two dose regime and that the vaccine had […]
Survey: UK teens are more likely than millennials to believe in God
RNS A new poll of Britain’s Generation Z finds older adolescents and younger adults are more likely to believe in God than are millennials, the demographic ahead of them. The survey, conducted by YouGov in late November, found that 23 per cent of Britons aged 16 to 24 said they believe in God, with an additional […]
Thailand offers work permits to undocumented migrants to curb COVID-19
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Thailand on Tuesday said it would allow undocumented migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to work in the country legally for about two years to curb the spread of COVID-19. Migrants have to sign up online and be registered by an employer before mid-September in order to receive a work […]
2020 – A Year in Review: 12 people from Sight’s year
Sight editor DAVID ADAMS looks at 12 people we encountered on Sight this year…
Argentine Senate weighs fate of abortion in Pope’s homeland
Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAP The decades-long fight by Argentine women’s groups for legal abortion was being decided by the Senate in a debate Tuesday that could change the outlook for the procedure across a continent where it is still largely illegal. The bill, which would legalise elective abortion in the first 14 weeks of a pregnancy, […]
Dublin Archbishop who helped Ireland heal from abuse retires
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, who worked to rebuild the Roman Catholic Church’s credibility in Ireland after it was shattered by decades of clergy sexual abuse and cover-up. Martin turned 75 earlier this year, the mandatory retirement age for bishops. Francis named Bishop Dermot […]