Most Popular News Within Last 30 Days
Priest arrested in Mozambique bishop killing; Catholics skeptical
Police in Mozambique arrested three people, including an unnamed priest, in the murder of Bishop Osório Cîtora Afonso, I.M.C., of Quelimane.An anonymous source who fears for his safety told The Pillar that “this murder could not have taken place, in this way, without the involvement of somebody at a government level ... The murder of a bishop was very bad press for the government. There may well have been pressure to solve the case quickly, deflecting attention away from the state.”
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...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...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.
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.”
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.”
Nuncio, other Christian leaders lament Russian attack on historic Ukrainian monastery
The apostolic nuncio to Ukraine lamented a Russian attack on Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves), an eleventh-century Orthodox monastery recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage...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.
Nigerian catechist dies in terrorists’ den after torture, starvation; 4 others murdered
The Archdiocese of Kaduna, Nigeria, announced the deaths of five men taken captive by terrorists in February, according to a report from the Nigerian Foundation for Investigative Journalism.“Catechist Victor Paul succumbed to severe torture, preventable illness, and starvation, while the others were brutally murdered by their captors,” according to the archdiocesan announcement. Two dozen other captives, including Paul’s son and pregnant wife, regained their freedom in a series of releases.
