Jerusalem Patriarch deplores extent of destruction in Gaza

Gaza/Jerusalem (KNA) According to the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the city of Gaza is partly destroyed beyond recognition. The biggest problems for the civilian population, apart from the ongoing war, are medical care, the hygienic situation and the distribution of humanitarian aid, the Italian religious said on Monday in Jerusalem. He had previously visited…

Marian apparitions have existed since early Christian times

Alexander Brüggemann (KNA) Since the 18th century, Marian apparitions have been categorised as “private revelations”. As such, they raise theological problems, since according to Church teaching, God’s revelation came to an end with the death of the last apostle. The Magisterium therefore makes a sharp distinction between revelation and private revelation. The latter can only…

Six months in prison for sex at the altar

Traunstein (KNA) A 39-year-old man from Upper Bavaria had sexual intercourse with his wife on the altar of a church in the summer of 2022. The Traunstein district court has now handed him a six-month prison sentence for disturbing the practice of religion. The court confirmed corresponding newspaper reports from Thursday. The woman had previously…

Rabbi Goldschmidt calls for a fight against hatred of Jews

This year’s International Charlemagne Prize goes to Pinchas Goldschmidt, Chairman of the European Rabbinical Conference. He uses his acceptance speech to make a fiery plea in favour of human rights. Aachen (KNA) The Chairman of the European Rabbinical Conference (CER), Pinchas Goldschmidt (60), has called for a resolute fight for democracy and human rights and…

Catholic bishops adopt statutes for synodal committee

The tug-of-war is over: The reform dialogue of the Catholic Church in Germany can continue in the Synodal Committee. However, the concerns in the Vatican are likely to remain for the time being. Bonn (KNA) The last formal hurdle for the continuation of the reform dialogue of the Catholic Church in Germany has been overcome:…

Israel calls up reservists again after threats from Iran

An escalation between Israel and Iran has been considered a possible scenario since the beginning of the Gaza war. Following the killing of high-ranking Iranian military personnel by the Israelis, Tehran has now threatened to retaliate. Jerusalem (KNA): Following threats from Iran, Israel has strengthened its air defence and called up reservists. In addition, weekend…

Catholic bishop wants more stability for Kosovo

Bonn/Pristina (KNA) The only Catholic bishop in Kosovo would like to see more stability in his country. Political and social tensions still persist 25 years after the NATO mission in the former Yugoslavia, lamented 2 on Friday. The bishop of the Prizren-Pristina diocese blamed Serbian politicians, among others, for this. However, the 61-year-old cleric admitted…

Bishops’ Conference rejects criticism from Cardinal Müller

Regensburg (KNA) The Catholic Bishops’ Conference has rejected Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller’s criticism of its approach to political extremism. “The German bishops are neither opportunistic nor anti-democratic when they take part in demonstrations against the right or the left,” Matthias Kopp, press spokesman for the Bishops’ Conference, told the newspapers of the Bavarian Media Group…