Sexual abuse in the ranks of the Catholic Church is so preoccupying Belgian society that thousands of people are turning away – by being “de-baptised”. In Belgium, more than 14,000 people turned their backs on the Catholic Church in 2023 – more than ever before. This was announced by the Church in a recent annual…
In Belgium, the Pope asked for forgiveness for the abuse and cover-up scandal that rocked the country. At the same time, he condemned abortion – using not new, but harsh words. And this is having an effect. Pope Francis’ harsh words against abortion have apparently triggered a diplomatic crisis between Belgium and the Vatican. Belgium’s…
Sabine Kleyboldt (KNA) It took Bernini nine years to create his first work of art in St Peter’s Basilica. It will have taken a good nine months to free the bronze canopy from the dust of the centuries. Then visitors will be rubbing their eyes. The excitement is growing: the huge grey cuboid in the…
Inga Kilian The mosaics by the controversial Jesuit artist Marko Rupnik in the French pilgrimage site of Lourdes will not be removed from the basilica for the time being. Although he is convinced that they will have to be removed one day, the Bishop of Lourdes, Jean-Marc Micas, told the French newspaper “La Croix” (Tuesday…
German development aid is under scrutiny. But Bill Gates has a clear opinion on the matter: The money from Germany saves many lives. Frankfurt (KNA) Bill Gates (68) has taken up the cudgels in favour of development cooperation. “The fact is that development cooperation – if implemented correctly – can do an incredible amount of…
Wiesbaden (KNA) The number of abortions in Germany remains at a high level. Around 28,200 abortions were reported in the first quarter of 2024. This was just under 2.3% more than in the first quarter of 2023 (27,600) and 11.4% more than in the fourth quarter of 2023 (25,300), according to the Federal Statistical Office…
Berlin (KNA) Papyrus experts have deciphered a manuscript fragment as the earliest surviving copy of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. They dated the manuscript to the 4th to 5th century, as the Institute for Christianity and Antiquity at Humboldt University (HU) in Berlin announced on Tuesday. The Gospel tells of the childhood of Jesus and…
Freiburg (KNA) Around three years after the Islamist Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the situation of the population there is dramatic, according to Caritas. “The humanitarian situation remains extremely precarious,” said Oliver Müller, head of the aid organisation Caritas Germany, in an interview with the magazine “Herder-Korrespondenz” (June issue). “Around 23 million people, half the…
By Tobias Käufer (KNA) The two moments that made him immortal were only 180 seconds apart: in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England, Diego Maradona showed his two faces: that of the genius and that of the cheat. Because Argentina, on their way to their second World Cup title, had put the English, who…
Alexander Riedel (KNA) According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Jews in Germany are facing ever greater dangers. Even in the current global political situation, “the rise of anti-Semitism is a clear crisis seismograph”, said the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, on Monday…