CHINA Christians fear intimidation as new regulations are implemented this week The destruction of a Protestant megachurch in Linfen, where more than 50,000 Christians worshipped, and the demolition of a Catholic village church in Shaanxi, may foretell a deeper crisis for Christianity in China. Many Christians think the demolition of the two churches could be...
MALTA Pope sends Mgr Scicluna to examine Bishop Barros case in Chile Pope Francis has sent Maltese Archbishop Scicluna to Chile to investigate allegations against a bishop accused of covering up clergy crimes against minors there. The decision was announced yesterday by the Vatican after new information emerged about the case of Bishop Juan...
CZECH REPUBLIC Religious vocations flourish again in the former Communist country Once again, young Discalced Carmelite Sisters are living in their convent in Prague – a testimony of the Triumph of Mary‘s Immaculate Heart. After the Second World War, what was then still Czechoslovakia fell under the Communist yoke and witnessed one of the...
Pope calls for ‘True and real’ peace in Jerusalem Pope Francis has made a firm commitment that he “will not fail to continue to invoke God for the cause of peace, of a true and real peace” in the Middle East. The pledge was made in a letter to Dr Ahmad Al-Tayyib, Grand Imam...
PHILIPPINES What’s next for Marawi? Bishop sets out his priorities in wake of five-month war against extremists Bishop Edwin de la Peña believes that reconciliation is vital in Marawi, the city in southern Philippines which was devastated by a five-month siege mounted by Islamist extremists affiliated with Daesh (ISIS). Speaking barely six weeks on...
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC “If nobody intervenes, there will be a massacre in Bangassou” From his place in hiding, together with other priests, Father Yovane Cox, a Chilean missionary in the Central African Republic, has contacted the international Catholic pastoral charity and pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) with an urgent plea...
IRAQ Baby saved from death is adopted by a Christian family Its mother was raped by DAESH militants and left pregnant. The elders of her tribe wanted to kill the baby. But the child was saved, “something that could only have happened thanks to the Church” A baby saved from death in Iraq....
Highlights of Pope’s visit to Chile Before setting off on his 22nd Apostolic Visit abroad to Peru and Chile, Pope Francis visited Rome’s Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pray for Mary’s protection. As is customary, the Pope sent telegrams to the Heads of States of the countries he flew over. After a 16-hour...
NIGERIA Boko Haram release video of Chibok girls who are still held captive Boko Haram released a new video last week which it says shows 14 of the girl students abducted from a Christian school in Chibok in April 2014. Despite the formidable international campaign for their release, the girls who appear in the...
SYRIA Reconstruction of ruined Homs cathedral symbolises hope for Christians “The reconstruction of this cathedral symbolizes the hope in our hearts and it is a sign of us overcoming despair and death” – Melkite Catholic Patriarch Youssef Absi The Melkite Catholics of Homs will be celebrating their first Christmas in the Cathedral of Our...
