Pope Francis sent a message to Donald Trump on the occasion of his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, offering prayers for “wisdom, strength, and protection” in the exercise of his duties and invoking blessings upon the “beloved American people”. In the message, released by the Holy See Press Office…
Nigeria was the country with the most Christians killed and kidnapped in 2024, according to the latest report from advocacy group Open Doors. The World Watch List, released January 15, found that 3,100 Christians were killed and 2,830 Christians were kidnapped in Nigeria in 2024, far more than other countries in the same year. The…
The cause for canonisation of Argentine businessman Enrique Shaw took another step forward this week as the alleged miracle attributed to his intercession passed the medical stage and will now be evaluated by a commission of theologians of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The vice postulator of the cause and the military bishop…
US President Joe Biden spoke with Pope Francis last Saturday and named him a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction, the White House said in a statement. As the nation’s highest honour, the medal is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States,…
The Black Nazarene procession in Manila, Philippines, which annually attracts one of the world’s largest crowds for a religious devotion, attracted hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic pilgrims on January 9. Taking place each year in January, the procession, known locally as “Traslacion”, sees devotees carry across Manila a replica of a famous life-size statue of Jesus carrying a…
Archdiocesan officials and local Church leaders in Los Angeles are working to shelter and assist victims of the ongoing wildfires there as the blaze consumes entire neighbourhoods and lays waste to significant portions of the suburban area. The fires began on Tuesday, January 7, and quickly spread via dry conditions and hurricane-force Santa Ana winds…
The world’s oldest living person has been revealed – and she is a 116-year-old nun from Brazil. Sr Inah Canabarro, who was born on June 8, 1908, became the world’s oldest person following the death of a woman from Japan on December 29. LongeviQuest, an organisation that tracks supercentenarians around the globe, said the wheelchair-bound…
The Jubilee Year of Hope is a chance for a fresh start and time a return to the heart of Jesus, Bishop Alan McGuckian declared after officially opening the Holy Door in St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast. The Bishop of Down and Connor told a packed congregation on Sunday that everyone has the ability to begin…
Former President Jimmy Carter died December 29 at his home in Plains, Georgia. At 100, Carter, who had been in hospice care since February 2023, was the longest-living US president. Carter, who served from 1977-1981 as the 39th US president, was a devout Baptist, and faith played a large role in his life. He even…
It has come to my attention – that’s to say, I admit of my former ignorance – that the Church has had a Syrian Pope. He was Gregory III and he came to the seat of Peter in 731, ruling for ten years. He sounds like a good egg: he was an “able and eloquent…
Brandon Scott
Martina Purdy
Mary Kenny