Catholic World News

The Vatican has issued a strong statement condemning the “Burn a Koran Day” organized by a fundamentalist group in Florida. Noting that the observance is scheduled for September 11, on the...

Communist China continues to persecute bishops who are faithful to the Pope, even when they have received government recognition, the retired bishop of Hong Kong said in an article published by...

Eight days before his scheduled arrival in the United Kingdom, Pope Benedict XVI released a message to the people of that nation. During his regular public audience on September 8, the Pope read...

At his weekly public audience on September 8, Pope Benedict XVI continued his reflections on the contributions that women have made to Catholic theology, and particularly the influence of St....

Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels conceded that he had made mistakes in his handling of sex-abuse allegations, and should have demanded the immediate resignation of a bishop who had molested a...

A cardinal, a US bishops’ conference official, and 32 other religious leaders issued a statement on September 7 denouncing “categorically the derision, misinformation and outright bigotry being...

The director of the Sistine Chapel has set up a panel of international experts to propose methods of conserving the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, without restricting access for...

A federal judge on September 7 rejected the Obama administration’s request to lift his temporary ban on federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. “In this Court's view, a stay would flout...

A Florida Protestant minister’s plan to burn copies of the Qur’an on September 11 has drawn condemnation from US government and military leaders. Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center...

Missionary nuns in the Philippines have denounced an anti-poverty program that provides cash payments to needy families, saying that handouts do not solve the problem of poverty. “The poor should...

After a performance of Mozart’s Requiem at the papal summer residence on September 7, Pope Benedict XVI said that the work is “an exalted expression of faith.” Speaking at the conclusion of the...

In a message published September 7, Pope Benedict expressed his hopes that Sweden’s first new Catholic university since the Middle Ages will be characterized by “the illustrious tradition of study,...

Archbishop Malcom Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka—the former secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship—has embarked on a determined effort to stimulate reverence for the Eucharist. As a major...

An editorial in the Des Moines Register supports the “telemed” abortions that are being performed in Iowa, and says that state laws should be changed to accommodate the practice. As pro-life blogger...

In Vienna, Austria, abortionist Christian Fiala admits hiring people to harass and intimidate pro-lifers outside the clinic. Several physical assaults have been captured on videotape, but to date...

Two bishops, joined by 40 priests and 1,500 faithful, attended the solemn consecration of the Parish of Jesus the Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Baotou on September 1. Both bishops were ordained...

Having seen an advance screening of a British television documentary on Pope Benedict XVI, columnist Damian Thompson of the Daily Telegraph reports that the show is such a heavy-handed attack that...

Writing for the National Catholic Register, Tim Drake singles out dioceses and religious communities that are reaping a harvest of vocations. A quibble: the title of the story refers to the “coming”...

Geoffrey Robertson, a human-rights lawyer and former UN judge, is generating publicity in Great Britain with his argument that the Vatican is using its sovereign status to shield priests who are...

A Connecticut bishop has defended the concept of social justice against critics who “have been telling Catholics to eliminate the term ‘social justice’ from any organization that speaks on Catholic...