Catholic World News Headlines
New Vatican rules for testing miracles in causes for canonization
The Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints has announced has issued new rules governing the medical boards that investigate reported miracles in connection with the causes of candidates...
China plans new restrictions on religious groups
The Chinese government has proposed strict new rules to regulate the activities of religious organizations, emphasizing that they must "not be controlled by foreign forces." Expanding...
Vatican becomes signatory of anti-corruption treaty
On September 19, the Vatican City State became a signatory of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, a 2003 anti-corruption treaty signed by 140 nations. In adhering to the treaty, the...
Canadian archbishop accepts award from dissident group FutureChurch
A Canadian archbishop has agreed to accept an award from the dissident Catholic group "FutureChurch." Archbishop Paul-André Durocher of Gatineau, Quebec, will be honored by...
Chaldean synod begins and ends
The bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church began a week-long synod in Erbil, Iraq, on September 22. Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako told AsiaNews that the synod would examine the situation in the...
Catholic bishops suspend involvement in 'national dialogue' talks in Democratic Republic of Congo
The Catholic bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have announced that they are backing away temporarily from involvement in national dialogue on elections, as tensions mount in the...
Polish bishops reject campaign by gay-right activists
The Catholic bishops of Poland have spoken out against a drive by homosexual activists to gain greater acceptance. The gay-rights campaign, organized around the theme, "Let's exchange a...
Philippine cardinal at Assisi: Islamist terrorists are ‘practical atheists’
Members of the Philippine Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf are “practical atheists” whose actions manifest a “denial of God,” a Philippine cardinal said during the recent...
Attack on Catholic church in Aleppo
A Syriac Catholic church in Aleppo has suffered damage from rocket and mortar fire. The Free Syrian Army, a rebel coalition group, attacked the church recently in violation of a cease-fire,...
Trump campaign forms Catholic advisory group
The Donald Trump presidential campaign has announced the formation of a Catholic advisory group. Members include Sen. Rick Santorum, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, and Father Frank Pavone of Priests...
Charlotte bishop calls for prayer following violence
Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte has issued a statement on the violence and looting that has taken place in the North Carolina city following the fatal shooting of an African-American man by an...
At UN, Cardinal Parolin outlines Vatican 'foreign policy'
In a September 22 address to the UN General Assembly, the Vatican's Secretary of State offered an overview of the Holy See's concerns about world affairs. Cardinal Pietro Parolin opened...
Another Mexican priest kidnapped
Another Mexican Catholic priest has been kidnapped, and his fate remains unknown, just a few days after two priests were murdered in the state of Veracruz. Cardinal Alberto Suarez Inda of Morelia...
Archbishop Gerety, world's oldest bishop, dead at 104
Archbishop Peter Gerety, the retired Archbishop of Newark, died on September 20 at a nursing home in New Jersey. Archbishop Gerety, who led the Newark archdiocese from 1974 until his retirement...
Clinton, Trump invited to NY Catholic Charities fundraiser
Both leading American presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have been invited to speak at the annual fundraising dinner for Catholic Charities in New York, archdiocesan...
Bishop Olmsted: Amoris Laetitia does not mean Communion for divorced/remarried Catholics
Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona, has announced that Catholics who are divorced and remarried should not receive the Eucharist. Writing in his diocesan newspaper, Bishop Olmsted said...
Inter-faith dialogue thwarts extremists, says apostolic administrator of Jerusalem
Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the apostolic administator of the Latin-rite Patriarchate of Jerusalem, has underlined the importance of inter-religious dialogue as a means of combatting...
Orthodox-Catholic commission reaches agreement on primacy
A joint Catholic-Orthodox theological commission has approved a statement on the primacy in Church history. The statement-- which covered the questions of both synodal government and primacy in...
Formal statutes approved for Vatican's new Communications Secretariat
Pope Francis has approved statutes for the Secretariat for Communications, the new Vatican office that has been created to coordinate and streamline the media operations of the Holy See. The...
Report truths, do not spread fears, Pope says to journalists
Journalists should be motivated by love of the truth, professionalism, and respect for human dignity, Pope Francis said in a September 22 address. Speaking to members of Italy's Naiotnal...
Coptic Orthodox leader urges support for Sisi
The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church called upon Coptic Christians in the United States to show their support for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as he traveled to New York for a UN...
Zambia: bishops criticize establishment of government religion ministry
Zambia’s bishops have joined the Protestant Council of Churches in Zambia in criticizing the government’s decision to establish a Ministry of National Guidance and Religious...
Archbishop Cupich: dialogue with Muslims more important than ever
There is an “urgent need to cultivate positive dialogue” with Muslims, Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago said in a statement. The prelate, who serves as co-chairman of the National...
Suspects arrested in murder of Nigerian priest
Nigerian police have arrested four suspects in the murder of Father John Adeyi. Father Adeyi, the vicar general of the Diocese of Otukpo, was kidnapped on April 24. His decomposed body was...
Syria: Kurdish soldiers loot Christian homes; archbishop escapes death
Kurdish forces fired bullets into the home of a Syrian Catholic archbishop as part of a campaign of intimidation against Christians. Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo, who is based in the...
USCCB report highlights plight of Southeast Asia’s refugees
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration & Refugee Services office has issued a report on the situation of refugees in Southeast Asia, some of whom are victims of human...
Slain Mexican priests knew assailants, prosecutor says
A Mexican prosecutor has said that two priest who were found dead in the state of Veracruz were acquainted with their assailants, and were meeting socially with them before the crime. Father...
Threats force cancellation of Australian conference by marriage supporters
A conference organized by Australian Christian groups to discuss opposition to same-sex marriage was cancelled because "threats of violence" received by the staff of the hotel where the...
Roman rumor: new drive to allow married priests?
A meeting between Pope Francis and Cardinal Claudio Hummes has touched off speculation that the Pope might support a move to allow the ordination of married men as priests. Cardinal...
Vatican confirms authority of bishop abducted by Chinese officials
The Vatican has confirmed that Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin has become the Bishop of Wenzhou, following the death of Bishop Vincent Zhu Weifang. Bishop Zhu died earlier this month, at the age of 90,...
Cardinal Parolin, in UN meetings, highlights role of religious leaders in fighting extremism
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, spoke on the responsibility of religious leaders to combat intolerance, and to provide education against extremism, in two separate September...
Archbishop of Canterbury: 'our worship is diminished' by lack of Christian unity
Speaking on September 20 at the interfaith prayer service in Assisi, the Archbishop of Canterbury said that because of the lack of unity among Christians "our worship is...
Papal appeal for Alzheimer’s patients
Following his September 21 general audience, Pope Francis issued an appeal for Alzheimer’s patients. Recalling that September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day, the Pope asked the faithful...
Pope Francis: be merciful as the Father is merciful
Continuing his series of weekly addresses devoted to mercy, Pope Francis reflected on Luke 6:36-68 during his September 21 general audience. “We are reminded of our call to be merciful even...
Strive for holiness, cardinal tells new bishops
The prefect of the Congregation for Bishops celebrated Mass with bishops who have been named during the past year and called upon them to “make a total sacrifice of themselves all the way to...
Priest: fabric of family life being shaken in India
Many of India’s Catholic families face challenges from alcoholism and lack of prayer, according to executive secretary of the family commission of the nation’s Latin-rite...
Prelate: 1/3 of priests have left Damascus
A Syrian archbishop has told Aid to the Church in Need that “one in three priests has chosen to leave Damascus towards more peaceful countries.” Discussing the grave problems facing...
USCCB welcomes day of prayer for abuse survivors
The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has welcomed Pope Francis’s call for episcopal conferences to designate a day of prayer for survivors of sexual abuse. The...
'God's name is peace,' world religious leaders affirm at Assisi day of prayer
Pope Francis joined 400 religious leaders in an interfaith prayer service for peace at Assisi on September 20, marking the 30th anniversary of the historic event organized by St. John Paul II. The event, organized by the St. Egidio community, drew together Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, and other religious leaders. Among the prominent participants joining the Pontiff were the Orthodox...
Over 500 scholars affirm Church teaching on contraception
More than 500 scholars have signed a statement of support for the Catholic Church's teaching on contraception. At a press conference held at the Catholic University of America on September...
South African bishops appalled by deaths attributed to health-care cost cuts
The Catholic bishops of South Africa has decried the deaths of 36 psychiatric patients who had been removed from a care facility because of budget shortages. The bishops said that it was...
Cardinal Parolin to participate in Colombia peace conference
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, has agreed to participate in a ceremony marking the peace accord between the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces...
Two Mexican priests kidnapped, killed
Two Mexican priests were kidnapped and murdered in the state of Veracruz on September 18. The two priests, Fathers Alejo Nabor Jimenes Juarez and Joe Alfredo Juarez de la Cruz, were seized on...
Australian bishops speak out against 'ageism'
The Australian Catholic bishops' conference has issued a statement decrying "ageism" and calling for "renewed solidarity among generations, young and old." The...
Pope Francis: ‘I keep dreaming of a new European humanism’
In a message to a European bishops’ meeting in Sarajevo, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of the works of mercy. “To contribute to the rebirth of Europe, the Church, as a caring...
Nuncios appeal for peace
Following a three-day meeting in Rome, the Holy See’s nuncios and pontifical representatives issued an appeal for peace. The nuncios asked world leaders to “work harder and more...
Caritas criticizes Calais wall proposal
Caritas Social Action Network. the social action arm of the Church in England and Wales, has criticized the British government’s proposal to build a wall to keep migrants in Calais, France,...
Russian Orthodox official renews criticism of Ukrainian Catholics
A leading Russian Orthodox official has renewed his criticism of Ukraine’s Eastern-rite Catholics. Days after characterizing Eastern Catholics as obstacles to Christian unity, Metropolitan...
Vatican newspaper mourns Belgian euthanasia victim
The Vatican newspaper has published a front-page column lamenting the first reported death of a Belgian teenager from euthanasia. The column’s author, Ferdinando Cancelli, discussed his...
USCCB committee chairs: Catholic teaching on nature of marriage cannot change
The chairmen of the US bishops’ Committees on Doctrine and on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth have issued a joint statement affirming the immutability of Catholic teaching on the nature...
Former Irish president backs challenge to Church teaching on contraception
Ireland's former President Mary McAleese has thrown her support behind a statement by a group of Catholic academicians, challenging the Church's teaching on contraception. McAleese...
Root causes of migrant crisis are man-made, says Cardinal Parolin
Speaking to a UN summit meeting on refugees and migrants, the Vatican's Secretary of State said that the greatest challenge for world leaders is "to identify and act on the root causes that...
Russian Orthodox official: Eastern-rite Catholics are obstacles to ecumenical unity
Speaking on September 16 at a meeting of a joint Catholic-Orthodox theological commission, the chief ecumenical officer of the Russian Orthodox Church said that the activity of the...
Lay member quietly resigned from papal abuse commission
A 2nd lay member has left the special papal commission on sexual abuse, the National Catholic Reporter has disclosed. Claudio Papale, a canon-law professor at the Pontifical Urbaniana, has...
Syrians suspicious of US motives, says Syrian bishop
Bishop George Abu Khazen of Aleppo reports that residents of the Syrian city are extremely skeptical of American intentions, particularly after a US air strike reportedly killed 90 Syrian government...
No injuries as man drives through police barrier in St. Peter's Square
An emotionally disturbed man crashed his car through barriers in St. Peter's Square on Friday evening, September 16, but was quickly apprehended by Vatican police. The man, who was not...
Regensburg address of Benedict XVI was prophetic: Cardinal Müller
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that the Regensburg address of Pope Benedict XVI was "prophetic," in a speech to...
Miracle of St. Januarius repeated in Naples
The blood of St. Januarius liquefied on September 19, his feast day, in the repetition of a familiar miracle in Naples, Italy. St. Januarius, who was martyred during the persecutions of...
Father Gabriele Amorth, outspoken exorcist, dead at 91
Father Gabriele Amorth, the world's most famous exorcist, died in Rome on September 16 at the age of 91. Father Amorth, who had served as official exorcist for the Diocese of Rome (he was...
Apostolic administrator seeks removal of Guam's Archbishop Apuron
An apostolic administrator is calling for the removal of Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Agana, Guam, in the face of multiple complaints of sexual abuse. Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, who was...
Belgium reports first euthanasia of teenager
Authorities in Belgium have reported the legal death by euthanasia of a minor. Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, and in 2014 the country's law was amended to allow for euthanasia of children...
Pope visits neonatal unit, hospice
As part of his “mercy Friday” initiative during the jubilee year of mercy, Pope Francis visited a hospital and a hospice on September 16. In the morning, the Pope visited the...
Pope appeals for prayers for peace on September 20
Following his September 18 Angelus address, Pope Francis asked the faithful to join him in praying for peace on September 20, as he travels to Assisi. “I will go to Assisi for the prayer...
Italian widow beatified
An Italian widow and mother of seven was beatified in her hometown of Codrongianos, Sardinia, on September 17. Cardinal Angelo Amato, the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints,...
Pope Francis: choose the Gospel, not the spirit of the world
During his September 18 Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis challenged the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square to make a clear choice for the Gospel rather than the spirit of the...
Pope thanks Vatican police on 200th anniversary
Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on September 18 for 200th anniversary of the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City. In his homily, the Pope the Vatican police and...
Pope addresses nuncios on dealings with governments, selection of bishops
Pope Francis met with the Holy See’s apostolic nuncios and other pontifical representatives and urged them to “be a true expression of an outbound Church, a ‘field hospital.’” “In the immense task of ensuring the freedom of the Church before every form of power that wishes to silence Truth, do not delude yourselves that this freedom is solely the fruit of...
Have compassion on refugees, Pope tells Jesuit alumni
Pope Francis encouraged members of the European Confederation of the World Union of Jesuit Alumni and Alumnae to follow the example of the late Jesuit superior general Father Pedro Arrupe (1907-91)...
Filipino bishops condemn extra-judicial killings as death-squad violence mounts
The Catholic bishops of the Philippines have issued a strong statement condemning the extra-judicial killings of drug addicts and dealers as "sins that harm the dignity of the human...
Bishops challenge president to protect Christians in northern Nigeria
Saying that Christians face a "hurricane of violence" in northern Nigeria, the country's Catholic bishops have appealled to President Muhmmadu Buhari to renounce...
Guam: deacon calls for timely investigation of abuse charges against archbishop
Deacon Steve Martinez, who in the past was responsible for responding to sex-abuse complaints for the Catholic Church in Guam, has voiced concern that charges against Archbishop Anthony Apuron have...
Archbishop Chaput: 'exhausted' US political system needs spiritual renewal
In a major address on American political affairs, Philadelphia's Archbishop Charles Chaput lamented that this year's presidential election features "two such deeply flawed" candidates, but went on to say that American society as a whole is facing a crisis. "We've reached a moment when our political thinking and vocabulary as a nation seem exhausted," the...
Papal condolences on death of Italy's former President Ciampi
Pope Francis has sent a message of condolence to Italy's Senate, mourning the death of the country's former prime minister and president, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Ciampi-- who was...
Mercy should guide all pastoral work, Pope tells new bishops
Speaking to newly appointed bishops on September 16, Pope Francis said: “The most precious richness you can bring from Rome at the beginning of your episcopal ministry is the awareness of...
Pope receives leading Russian Orthodox official
Pope Francis received Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, president of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, in audience on September 15. According to the...
Buddhist leader meets with Pope
Pope Francis received the leader of Tendai Buddhism in a September 16 audience, according to the Holy See Press Office. Koei Morikawa, 91, became the 257th Tendai Buddhist head priest in 2015....
Catholic-Orthodox dialogue focuses on synodality, primacy
The Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church began an eight-day meeting on September 15. The meeting, hosted by the Archdiocese of...
Nuncios gather in Rome, discuss gender, Islam
106 of the 108 nuncios and other papal diplomatic representatives gathered in Rome on September 15 for three days of meetings as part of the extraordinary jubilee of mercy. On September 15, Msgr....
We have dignity because we are children of God, Pope tells biblical scholars
Pope Francis received members of the Italian Biblical Association on September 15 and referred to the theme of the association’s meeting, “Let us be human beings … male and...
USCCB committee chair: overcome partisanship, heed Catholic teaching on migration
As heads of state prepare for a September 19 UN meeting on migrants and refugees, the chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Migration has called upon Catholics to “overcome the...
Canadian bishops: no change in policy on Communion for divorced/remarried
The Catholic bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories in Canada have issued new guidelines for priests regarding the pastoral care of divorced and remarried Catholics, saying that those who...
Australian bishop denies supporting same-sex unions
An Australian Catholic bishop has issued a statement denying that he supported same-sex unions in a public lecture. In a response to what he characterized as "misinterpretatin of the...
Abu Dhabi prince meets Pontiff
Pope Francis met on September 15 with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Sultan Al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. The prince from the United Arab Emirates said after the meeting that he had spoken with the...
Papal document brings Code of Canon Law into line with law of Eastern Catholic churches
With a motu proprio issued on September 15, Pope Francis has amended the canon laws of the Roman Catholic Church to bring them into harmony with the canon law of the Eastern Catholic...
Cooperation in abortion, homicide, attempted suicide ruled obstacles to priestly ordination
Men who have been involved in homicide, abortion, or attempted suicide should not ordinarily be considered as candidates for the priesthood, the Vatican announced on September 15. Clarifying a...
Cardinal Schönborn clarifies: European squander culture; Islamists exploit weakness
Vienna's Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has issued a statement denying that he warned against a Muslim drive to conquer Europe. In a Sunday homily that drew worldwide attention, the...
Disabled Indian woman killed for alleged disrespect of Sikh text
In India's Punjab region, a Christian woman with severe intellectual disabilities was killed by Sikh militants who thought that she had descrated their sacred text. Balwinder Kaur died...
Patriarch: remove mines from Nineveh Plain
As the Iraqi government takes back land from the Islamic State, and as Christians and others return to the Nineveh Plain, mines need to be removed before schools and clinics are built, the head of...
Gabon’s bishops renew appeal for calm
As strife-torn Gambia awaits a court decision on a disputed presidential election, the nation’s bishops renewed their appeal for calm. In their recent appeal, the bishops urged politicians...
Czech bishops oppose adoption by homosexual couples
The Czech bishops have announced their opposition to a proposal to permit homosexual couples to adopt children. The proposal “is a further attempt to downplay the importance of biological...
Eastern European bishops: ‘Europe, first of all, needs stable families’
Representatives of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Central and Eastern Europe met recently in Bratislava and discussed the crises of the family and the low European...
