Category: World Report

Vatican News

Francis answers questions from children around the world “What did God do before the world was made?” is one of 30 questions from children around the world the Pope tackles in a book to be published on March 1. Dear Pope Francis, published by Loyola Press, and illustrated with drawings by children aged 6-13, was first proposed to the Pontiff by Fr…

Our silence condones migrants’ deaths – Pope

We share the responsibility for the deaths of desperate migrants when we stand by silently, Pope Francis has said, urging Catholics to see migrants not in legalistic terms but as fellow human beings with their own inherent dignity and abilities to contribute to their new homes. Speaking on the World Day for Migrants and Refugees,…

Ghana’s bishops warn against transfer from Guantanamo

Ghana’s bishops have issued a statement protesting about the transfer of former Guantanamo Bay prisoners to their country, describing it as “wrong and dangerous”. In a statement signed by Konongo-Mampong’s Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu, president of the country’s bishops’ conference, the bishops said they had responded to this development with “distress and sadness”, calling on the…

Vatican roundup

Mercy at the heart of the Pope’s new series of talks God’s mercy is constant and limitless, and he is faithful in his mercy for his children, even when they are unfaithful, Pope Francis has said in his first general audience of 2016, the first of a series of weekly talks on mercy. Claiming that in the Bible, from the “Old Testament to the full…

Kenya Government’s new worship rules shock bishops

Kenya’s bishops have said they are “shocked and surprised” by government plans to regulate worship in the east African country. Responding to concerns that some pastors were fleecing followers and some mosques are becoming centres of radicalisation, the government has published new rules requiring religious leaders to have theological degrees and religious groups to submit…

Deportation raids must stop, bishops plead

Two American bishops have written to the government seeking an end to deportation raids that earlier this month rounded up more than 120 Central American immigrants. “We disagree with the underlying rationale behind this action: that sending children and families back to the dangerous environment they fled will serve as a deterrent for other children…

Euthanised woman’s family sues Catholic care home

The Belgian family of an elderly cancer sufferer who wanted to die by euthanasia is suing a Catholic care home for refusing to allow a lethal injection on Church-run premises. Mariette Buntjens died days later after receiving the injection from a doctor in a private residence. The woman’s daughter Nadine Engelen claims the Sint-Augustinus rest…

American bishops welcome latest gun control efforts

American bishops have welcomed President Barack Obama’s executive action on gun control, introducing a range of measures to regulate the sale of firearms. Miami’s Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, said in a statement that “For a long time now, the bishops…