Most Popular News Within Last 30 Days
Pope appoints proponent of same-sex blessings as bishop of German diocese
Pope Leo XIV today appointed Auxiliary Bishop Christian Würtz of Freiburg im Breisgau as the new bishop of Eichstätt. The diocese, though relatively small (nearly 400,000 Catholics), has...Bishop says Nigerian government ‘unserious’ about combating terrorism, warns of God’s judgment
A Nigerian bishop charged that the nation’s government is “unserious” about fighting terrorism.“In the security challenges that we are facing, we all know that the government is unserious,” Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Yola said to a journalist on July 7. “You cannot say that the government doesn’t have a hand in what is happening since the government is not prepared to resolve these issues and also give the military full authority to get rid of the terrorists.”
“We have air power, we have land power, and we have all the necessary advantages that we need in order to get rid of the insurgency,” Bishop Mamza continued. “But there is no will, there is no seriousness, there is no commitment, and there is too much politics in it.”
Bishop Mamza also warned that “both perpetrators of violent terrorism and those who fail in their responsibility to protect lives will face divine accountability ... God knows. His judgment is just and fair.”
A Sad Day in Econe [News Analysis]
An ordination, like a wedding, should be a happy occasion. But the July 1 consecration of four new bishops for the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) marks a sad day in the history of the Catholic...4 attacks reported on Christians in West Bengal
On July 5, at least four incidents of anti-Christian violence took place in the Indian state of West Bengal (map).Matters India, based in Delhi, reported that
- a mob attacked the home of a Christian widow in Murshidabad, “demanding she abandon her faith and donate her property for conversion into a [Hindu] temple”
- activists “seized Bibles and briefly detained worshippers” at a Protestant prayer meeting in Bankura
- attackers “broke windows, desecrated the altar, and damaged musical instruments” at a Mizo Synod [Presbyterian] church in Suvas Gram
- a mob attacked Grace Church at Faridpur during a Sunday service, assaulting the pastor and members of the congregation
Matters India linked the attacks against Christians—as well as recent intimidation of Muslims—to a new Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal. The state is 71% Hindu, 27% Muslim, and 0.7% Christian.
English bishop charged with rape of girl
Police in Staffordshire, England, announced that Bishop David Oakley of Northampton has been charged with two counts of rape of a girl under 16. “A man has been charged following an...US State Department demands release of detained Nicaraguan bishop
The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs called for the release of Bishop Abelardo Mata, 80, following his detention by the Nicaraguan regime.“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Nicaraguan Bishop Abelardo Mata who has been arbitrarily detained by the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship,” the Bureau stated. “80-year old Bishop Mata poses no threat to the regime and his health is fragile.”
Kenyan bishop suspends 15% of his priests; imposes curfew, bans overnight rectory guests
Enacting disciplinary measures on his priests, a Kenyan bishop imposed a 7:00 PM curfew, banned alcohol in Church residences, banned overnight visits and lay guests without his permission, and forbade cohabitation and intimate relationships “with members of either sex.”Bishop Hieronymus Emusugut Joya, I.M.C., of Maralal, who has led the diocese since 2022, also suspended six of his priests. The diocese has only 15 parishes and 39 priests—30 diocesan and nine religious—according to the Annuario Pontificio.
“It is painful to state that I found the diocese with multiple problems, but no one was willing to tell me the cause of the problems and how to get the solution,” said Bishop Joya, who said he suspended the priests to “protect the integrity of the priesthood and the proper stewardship of Church property.”
South Korea’s President Lee has ‘warm and affectionate’ meeting with Pope Leo
South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung had a “warm and affectionate” audience with Pope Leo XIV on June 15, a day after he thanked the Holy See for its “unconditional support and...Pope pays tribute to newly beatified Vietnamese martyr, prays for Venezuelan earthquake victims
At the conclusion of his July 5 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Blessed Trương Bửu Diệp (1897-1946), who was beatified in Vietnam on July 2.The priest, slain by Japanese soldiers, “was killed in 1946 in hatred of the faith,” Pope Leo said. “Amid oppression and violence, he defended the rights of the people and did not abandon his parishioners. May his intercession and prayers strengthen all those who proclaim the Gospel in situations of persecution today.”
The Pontiff also said that he continued to “remember in my prayers the victims of the earthquake and all the Venezuelan people. May the Lord sustain them in this time of great hardship.”
Nicaraguan regime detains bishop
The Nicaraguan regime detained a retired bishop after he publicly prayed for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua.Police detained Bishop Abelardo Mata, 80, on June 29, released him, and detained him again the following day. The prelate is the retired bishop of Estelí.
