Pope Francis sides with Peruvian villagers who accused Catholic group of trying to steal their land
Quito, Ecuador AP Pope Francis on Saturday sided with a group of Peruvian villagers who have complained that companies linked to a powerful South American church group have tried to evict them from their land using lawsuits and obscure land titling schemes. In a video recorded at his residence in the Vatican, the Pope sent a […]
Family mourns “beautiful mother” killed in Sydney mall stabbing
Sydney, Australia Reuters Young Sydney mother Ashlee Good, who cradled her nine-month old daughter Harriet, was one of the victims of a random shopping mall stabbing attack which killed six people, her family confirmed in a statement on Sunday. Five women and a male security guard were killed in the Saturday attack in the Sydney […]
UN chief calls for maximum restraint after Iran’s attack on Israel, G7 leaders condemn attack; Pope urges end to “spiral of violence”
Reuters United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday issued a reminder that acts of reprisal involving the use of force are barred under international law after Iran’s attack on Israel, while the US warned the Security Council it would work to hold Tehran accountable at the UN. Guterres, speaking to a meeting of the UN […]
US Catholics more polarised than ever about still-popular Pope Francis, survey says
United States RNS US Catholics are more polarised than ever in how they view Pope Francis, even though majorities on both ends of the political spectrum have a positive view of the Pope, according to a new survey. Pew Research Center, in a report released on Friday, found that three-quarters of US Catholics (75 per […]
Pope will travel to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore in longest trip of papacy
Vatican City AP Pope Francis will visit Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in September, the Vatican announced Friday, confirming the longest trip of Francis’ papacy that is sure to test his health, stamina and mobility. The Vatican confirmed the 2nd to 13th September visit, saying the 87-year-old Pope would visit Jakarta, Indonesia; Port […]
Experts call for Vatican judicial reforms to promote transparency and a fair trial
Vatican City RNS Two decades after the Vatican was first forced to reckon with the clerical sexual abuse crisis, church experts on Thursday addressed the institution’s failures to safeguard victims, promote transparency and guarantee a safe trial. For years, sexual abuse victims lamented that church trials under canon law fail to inform them about not […]
Brazil’s Yanomami leader asks the Pope to support President Lula in reversing damage to the Amazon
Vatican City AP Pope Francis met Wednesday with a leader of Brazil’s Yanomami people, who asked for papal backing for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ’s efforts to reverse decades of exploitation of the Amazon and better protect its Indigenous peoples. Davi Kopenawa, a Yanomami shaman, said he came to the Vatican at Francis’ invitation to brief him […]
Floods swamp swathes of Russia and Kazakhstan but worse still to come
Orenburg, Russia Reuters Floods engulfed cities and towns across Russia and Kazakhstan on Wednesday after Europe’s third-longest river burst its banks, forcing about 110,000 people to evacuate and swamping parts of the Russian city of Orenburg. The deluge of melt water overwhelmed scores of settlements in Russia‘s Ural Mountains, Siberia, Volga and areas of Kazakhstan after major rivers such as the […]
Essay: New Vatican document combines modern transparency with eternal teaching
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE takes, in an article first published on Religion News Service, a deeper look at the new Vatican document ‘Dignitas infinita’ (‘Infinite Dignity’)…
Vatican foreign minister travels to Vietnam in unprecedented visit
Hanoi, Vietnam Reuters The Vatican’s foreign minister Paul Richard Gallagher began an unprecedented six-day visit to Communist-ruled Vietnam on Tuesday as the two sides work on closer relations. Gallagher’s trip, the first to Vietnam for a Vatican foreign minister, could be followed by other top-level visits, including Pope Francis, who the Vatican has said is […]