As China appears to be considering relaxing its strict population control measures, American women’s rights activist Reggie Littlejohn has criticised the country for hypocrisy in encouraging Chinese families to have more children while forbidding Uyghur Muslims to do the same. She also voiced doubt that China will completely do away with birth restrictions, insisting that…
Experts say the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) across Africa, Middle East and Latin America could lead to a collapse of already strained economies and healthcare systems in those regions. According to Dr Peter Hotez, professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, a major crisis could be…
Peruvian Cardinal Pedro Barreto believes the Soldalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV), a scandal-ridden religious lay group in the country, ought to be dissolved and says the Vatican feels the same way. In a recent interview, Barreto said: “My personal opinion, which I believe is shared by some, is that I insist that this religious organisation should…
Letter from Rome At the beginning of last week, the insider Catholic universe imploded when news broke that retired Pope Benedict XVI and Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah had co-authored a new book defending priestly celibacy just as Pope Francis is considering an exception to the rule proposed during the Amazon synod. In the fierce and…
Letter from Rome Pope Francis called recent tensions between the US and Iran following the killing of General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad “particularly troubling” last Thursday, warning that they risk triggering a “vaster conflict”. Escalation between the two nations, the Pope said, risks “compromising the gradual process of rebuilding in Iraq, as well as setting…
If anyone has read a tabloid, they’ve probably seen the ‘they’re just like us’ section featuring favourite celebrities doing normal things like taking their kids to the park or walking around in jeans and a t-shirt with a Starbucks in hand. One might think, for example, of the humanising photos of Kate Middleton, Duchess of…
Letter from Rome A little more than four years after Pope Francis published one of his most provocative documents, not to mention perhaps his most political, in the form of his eco-encyclical Laudato Si’, the Pontiff appears increasingly disappointed in the way the environmental manifesto been received. In two separate messages published this week, Francis appeared…
Letter From America Central American bishops defend Francis over Amazon synod At the close of their annual general assembly, the Central American bishops rose to Pope Francis’s defence amid what they said have been false and hostile attacks following the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon in October. They also advocated for better care…
Letter from Rome After Tuesday’s deadline for South Sudan to implement a peace agreement was again postponed, the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC), which unites representatives from all major Christian denominations in the country, including the Catholic Church, urged people not to lose hope. One global figure obviously cheering for a happy outcome is…
For hundreds of years, the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto has been among the most popular destinations for Marian devotees in Italy. With a jubilee just weeks away, and a new status on the Church’s liturgical calendar, the shrine’s importance seems destined to continue to grow. According to Diletta D’Agostini, a journalist who…