People across Sri Lanka have united to protect elephants, an animal revered in Buddhist culture, after increasing deaths from collisions with passenger trains. The issue garnered widespread attention after a passenger train truck a herd, killing six elephants in Habarana. In response, the Centre for Environmental Justice petitioned Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court urging coordinated efforts…
Category: World Report
Questioning rearmament in a world increasingly incapable of diplomacy
The ‘ReArm Europe’ plan proposes 800 billion euros of arms spending in the Old Continent. But would this really guarantee our security? The increase in economic resources for armaments has once again become an instrument of relations between states, showing that peace is only possible and achievable if it is based on a balance…
Bishops express concern Congo’s war could unravel into a regional conflict
As conflict continues to devastate eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa (ACEAC) has warned of potential regional spillover. At a meeting in Tanzania, bishops from Burundi, DRC, and Rwanda called for peace, denouncing what they termed a growing “culture of death.” The M23 rebel offensive, backed by…
Trinitarian Order quietly helping persecuted Christians for 800 years
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú A new documentary, Ocho Siglos Después (Eight Centuries Later), sheds light on the plight of persecuted Christians in regions like Syria, Nigeria, and northern India, where faith remains a source of resilience amid oppression. The film, produced by Fascina Producciones, was screened on February 25 at Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The event featured…
Indonesian scholars and religious leaders discuss Pope’s impact on religious landscape
Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Prof. KH Nasaruddin Umar, emphasised the importance of religious tolerance and interfaith harmony during a colloquium and book discussion at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia on February 25. Titled ‘Salve Peregrinans Spei!’, the event focused on perspectives from 33 prominent Indonesian Muslim figures regarding Pope Francis’ visit. In his…
Iraqi Church open to Christians and Muslims in the sign of Abraham and the pope
The upcoming inauguration of a Church in Ur of the Chaldeans, four years after Pope Francis’ visit, is a ‘message’ of openness, says Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of Baghdad. The site, he hopes, will become a place of pilgrimage for Iraqis and believers from all over the world, Christians and Muslims, for Abraham “is…
Pew: US Christianity downturn levelling, but Catholics suffer ‘greatest net losses’
Gina Christian – OSV Christianity’s decline in the US may have stalled, but signs of a long-term downward trend remain, according to a new Pew Research Centre survey. On February 26, Pew released the results of its 2023-2024 Religious Landscape Study, which polled nearly 37,000 US adults on a range of topics regarding religious belief…
Original statue of Our Lady of Fatima headed to Rome for Jubilee of Marian Spirituality
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú – CNA On the occasion of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, scheduled for October 11–12, the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be taken to Rome. The famous image of Our Lady, known to the faithful throughout the world and a symbol of “hope that does not disappoint,” will be present among…
Could the Pope be preparing to resign?
Additional Reporting (KNA) There is currently a lot of speculation in and around the Vatican. Only a few people know what the true state of the ailing Pope is. Now he is startling observers with a scheduled meeting – and awakening memories of Pope Benedict’s resignation. Despite his unchanged critical state of health, Pope Francis…
Sudanese bishops urge tax exemptions amid conflict and economic turmoil
As conflict and economic hardship continue to plague Sudan and South Sudan, the Catholic bishops are calling on the governments of both countries to exempt the Catholic Church from taxes, in order to enable it to accomplish its missions more effectively. In his opening remarks at the start of the meeting of the Episcopal Conference…