This year, the Christian churches can celebrate Easter together. But that is the exception. All efforts to find a common date have come to nothing. Bonn (KNA): The calendar provides a steep template: this year, the churches are celebrating the 1,500th anniversary of the Council of Nicea – and thus also the establishment of the…
Shroud of Turin to be showcased online during Holy Year
The Shroud of Turin will be digitally showcased during the Holy Year 2025, allowing visitors to engage with the revered relic like never before. The shroud, a linen cloth many believe is the burial shroud of Jesus Christ and bears his image, traditionally draws thousands of pilgrims during rare public displays. While there will be…
Pope Francis’ powerful words on protecting children abused by priests
By Fr. Shay Cullen While many good and dedicated bishops and priests in the Philippines and elsewhere are examining their conscience about their responsibility to bring pedophile clergymen to justice, many more are not. In the past, Pope Francis — who remains hospitalized — has strongly spoken out on the urgent need to cleanse…
Trinitarian Order quietly helping persecuted Christians for 800 years
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú A new documentary, Ocho Siglos Después (Eight Centuries Later), sheds light on the plight of persecuted Christians in regions like Syria, Nigeria, and northern India, where faith remains a source of resilience amid oppression. The film, produced by Fascina Producciones, was screened on February 25 at Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The event featured…
Indonesian scholars and religious leaders discuss Pope’s impact on religious landscape
Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Prof. KH Nasaruddin Umar, emphasised the importance of religious tolerance and interfaith harmony during a colloquium and book discussion at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia on February 25. Titled ‘Salve Peregrinans Spei!’, the event focused on perspectives from 33 prominent Indonesian Muslim figures regarding Pope Francis’ visit. In his…
Iraqi Church open to Christians and Muslims in the sign of Abraham and the pope
The upcoming inauguration of a Church in Ur of the Chaldeans, four years after Pope Francis’ visit, is a ‘message’ of openness, says Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of Baghdad. The site, he hopes, will become a place of pilgrimage for Iraqis and believers from all over the world, Christians and Muslims, for Abraham “is…
Pew: US Christianity downturn levelling, but Catholics suffer ‘greatest net losses’
Gina Christian – OSV Christianity’s decline in the US may have stalled, but signs of a long-term downward trend remain, according to a new Pew Research Centre survey. On February 26, Pew released the results of its 2023-2024 Religious Landscape Study, which polled nearly 37,000 US adults on a range of topics regarding religious belief…
Original statue of Our Lady of Fatima headed to Rome for Jubilee of Marian Spirituality
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú – CNA On the occasion of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, scheduled for October 11–12, the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be taken to Rome. The famous image of Our Lady, known to the faithful throughout the world and a symbol of “hope that does not disappoint,” will be present among…
‘What we were doing was right’
Msgr Raymond Murray had an uphill battle exposing human rights abuses, writes Martin O’Brien This in depth interview with Fr Raymond Murray was first published on November 14, 2013. It is being republished following the death of Fr Murray on February 25, 2025. “It was all about breaking the wall of silence,” explains Armagh priest…
What does it mean to be a priest in today’s world?
Fr Joe Mullen I once heard an amusing description of the three stages of priestly ministry. Seemingly it begins at ordination with a big head, continues in middle years with a big belly and concludes when the Lord calls one home with a big funeral! As so often with the dig of gentle humour,…