Indian gov’t blocks foreign donations to Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity
India’s Ministry of Affairs confirmed that on Christmas, the government rejected the Missionaries of Charity’s request to have their Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) permit renewed.
Kentucky parishioners ride out tornado in church praying the rosary
Jenny and Bill Rush and other parishioners at Sts. Peter and Paul Church In Hopkinsville, Kentucky, were nearly finished praying the rosary after an early morning Mass on New Year’s Day when an isolated tornado shook the church, much to their surprise. As the storm roared, the group prayed all the louder, Jenny told Catholic […]
Law firm to publish report on handling of abuse in Munich Archdiocese
MUNICH — In mid-January, the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl is scheduled to publish a report into the handling of clerical sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. The potentially explosive aspect is that three of the highest-ranking officials are still alive: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — now retired Pope Benedict XVI — and […]
Religious persecution an ‘insane’ act, pope says
To discriminate against or persecute those who profess their faith is an intolerable act that threatens the fraternal bonds shared by humanity, Pope Francis said. “How can we allow that in this society — which is so civilized — there are people who are persecuted simply because they publicly profess their faith? Not only is […]
China forbids foreigners from spreading religious content online
In the U.S.-China rivalry that involves a complex mix of diplomacy, trade wars and sanctions, religion has come under increased pressure after the communist regime banned online propagation of religion by foreign nationals, purportedly to make religion more Chinese-oriented. On Dec. 22, the Chinese government issued a new norm that proscribes all foreign institutions and […]
Court sets March date for former Cardinal McCarrick's hearing
Proceedings before a criminal trial involving former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick will continue March 3 in Massachusetts, where he faces three counts of sexually assaulting a teenager in the 1970s.
In World Sick Day message, pope says progress must never trump care
“Patients are always more important than their diseases, and for this reason, no therapeutic approach can disregard listening to the patient, his or her history, anxieties and fears,” the pope wrote.
Catholics hold funeral after Myanmar massacre; attacks continue
On Dec. 29, Catholics in Kayah’s Hpruso Township held a funeral for 35 civilians — all Catholic — killed by troops and their bodies set on fire Christmas Eve in Mo So village.
Coming abuse report to review retired Pope Benedict's tenure as German archbishop
In mid-January, the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl is scheduled to publish a report into the handling of clerical sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.
Religious persecution an 'insane' act, pope says
To discriminate against or persecute those who profess their faith is an intolerable act that threatens the fraternal bonds shared by humanity, Pope Francis said.