Most Popular News Within Last 30 Days
Catholic village attacked in Bangladesh
A predominantly Garo Catholic village in Bangladesh was attacked after the body of a Muslim man was found buried near a canal there. Eleven homes were looted, according to a local parish priest.“I hope that the administration will provide security to the Garo Indigenous of this village and that the villagers will maintain good relations with each other so that peace can prevail in the future,” said Father Simon Hacha, vicar general of the Diocese of Mymensingh.
Located in South Asia, Bangladesh (map), a nation of 170 million—the world’s 8th most populous—is 89% Muslim and 9% Hindu.
San Antonio priest found guilty of schism, excommunicated, laicized
The Archdiocese of San Antonio announced the excommunication and laicization of Father John Mary Foster, a priest ordained in 1987 and incardinated into the archdiocese in 2009.Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, M.Sp.S., announced on August 14 that Foster was found guilty of the canonical crime of schism (Canon 751), which entails automatic excommunication (Canon 1364). Archbishop García-Siller wrote:
Mr. Foster has chosen to reject the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church by his words and actions. He has publicly referred to Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV as “usurpers”. ln publishing messages allegedly received from God, Jesus, and the Blessed Mother by a member of the Mission of Divine Mercy, for which John Mary Foster serves as the de facto leader, he has repeatedly and consistently claimed that Pope Leo XIV “is also a usurper and not a true pope“.
Despite being offered countless opportunities to repent and to cease his schismatic actions and teachings, Mr. Foster has chosen the path of disobedience. I have prohibited him from publicly celebrating Mass, yet he continues to do so. When he does, he intentionally omits the name of Pope Leo XIV, as he did with Pope Francis, from the Eucharistic Prayer. In doing so, he publicly manifests his separation with the Church and the successor of Saint Peter.
Latvia’s president, Pontiff discuss peace
President Edgars Rinkēvičs of Latvia discussed peace during a September 4 audience with Pope Leo XIV. “It was an honor to meet His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,” President Rinkēvičs said in...Finnish MP, convicted for remarks on homosexuality, files appeal to European court
A prominent Finn who was convicted on hate-crimes charges in March, because she expressed support for biblical teaching on homosexuality in a 2004 pamphlet, appealed her conviction to the European Court of Human Rights.Päivi Räsänen, a member of Parliament since 1995 and the nation’s former interior minister (2011-2015), was convicted by the nation’s Supreme Court in a 3-2 decision, along with Juhana Pohjola, a bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.
“My case stands to determine whether the fundamental rights of religious freedom and free speech are still protected in Finland and across Europe, and whether these societies are still willing to stand up for the rights of all—even those they disagree with,” said Räsänen.
Last month, the United Kingdom cancelled Räsänen’s travel authorization, leaving her unable to travel to Belfast to address a free-speech conference.
Fire destroys historic Canadian church; man charged with arson
A 68-year-old man was charged with arson after a fire destroyed the Catholic church in Saint-Simon, New Brunswick, in Canada.CBC Radio-Canada reported that the church was “believed to be the largest wooden church left in New Brunswick.”
“This event has plunged us into deep sorrow,” said Bishop Michel Proulx, O. Praem., of Bathurst. “What an immeasurable loss! So many memories are tied to this beautiful wooden church: baptisms, weddings, funerals, and so many other significant events. Several generations of Christians celebrated their faith there, and it was the precious legacy of our ancestors.”
Arson attack on Polish church averted
A person attempted to set fire to a parish in Kielce, a city of 190,000 in south-central Poland.On the night of August 3-4, the person placed a burning package beneath the side door of St. Joseph the Worker Church. A nearby resident noticed the fire, and the flames were extinguished before damaging the interior of the church.
Kenyan man arrested for pretending to be a priest
A Kenyan husband and father was arrested after reportedly pretending to act as a priest in the Diocese of Lodwar.The man reportedly used forged documents and simulated the celebration of Mass in three churches, including the cathedral, before he was apprehended.
Iraqi PM wants Christians to return
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi of Iraq said that the “return of Christians who were forced to leave the country due to the difficult circumstances Iraq endured is a national and government priority.”“Iraq’s true strength lies in its national, religious, and cultural diversity, and in the unity, integration, and social cohesion of its people,” the prime minister said during a recent meeting with the new Chaldean Catholic Patriarch, Paul III Nona. “Christians are an active component, an essential part of Iraqi society, and a key partner in building the state and shaping Iraq’s history and future.”
Texas bishop establishes 1st parish named after Ghanaian ISIS martyr
The bishop of Fort Worth, Texas, announced the establishment of the “first Ghanaian National Catholic parish in the United States and the first Catholic parish anywhere in the world to be established under the patronage of Saint Matthew Ayariga, the Ghanaian Catholic migrant whose courageous profession of faith in Jesus Christ led to his martyrdom in Libya in 2015.”“Not much is known about Matthew Ayariga other than that he was Ghanaian and a migrant worker in Libya,” Bishop Michael Olson wrote in an August 28 letter. “He was among the group of Christian men abducted and murdered by ISIS on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.”
“Twenty of his coworkers were Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians,” Bishop Olson continued. “His captors offered Matthew an opportunity to be released when they asked him if he was a Christian. His response in the face of certain death was heroic.”
Man arrested following disruption of Mass in New Mexico
A man was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace in connection with the disruption of a Sunday Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.“He jumped up out of the pew,” a deacon said. “He was coming towards Father, I stepped in front of him, and a bunch of other men had come up at the same time. And so we just kind of pushed him to the side and he was fighting, fighting, fighting.”
The man who was arrested described himself as a Christian and said, “I have been sent here by God to preach to the Catholics.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has documented over 400 acts of vandalism, arson, and other destruction at parishes and other Catholic sites in the United States since 2020. A tracker at CatholicVote.org lists additional attacks.
