News in Activities

Church Summit to tackle online abuse of chidren

A Church-sponsored summit on how to protect children from online sexual exploitation will take place in Rome next week, culminating in a meeting between Pope Francis and participants from across the world. The conference, organised by the Pontifical Gregorian University’s Centre for Child Protection, is happening just weeks after the Vatican recalled one of its priest diplomats from Washington for allegedly accessing child pornography.

St Francis of Assisi

Francis' conversion did not happen over night. God had waited for him for twenty-five years and now it was Francis' turn to wait. Francis started to spend more time in prayer. He went off to a cave and wept for his sins. Sometimes God's graceoverwhelmed him with joy. But life couldn't just stop for God. There was a business to run, customers to wait on.

Rohingya crisis top of pope's agenda during upcoming visit

Pope Francis is to visit Myanmar and Bangladesh Nov. 27-Dec. 2 and already Myanmar bishops have issued warnings that he should not use the term Rohingya as it is sensitive in their country. Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi, chairman of the Bangladeshi Catholic bishops' Justice and Peace Commission, told ucanews.com that the Rohingya crisis would surely be discussed with government leaders in private, more than it being made a public issue.

Pope issues decree of major significance in Asia

The decree, or motu proprio as it is called in church parlance, enables local churches across the world to take a more direct hand in developing and approving the texts used in the celebration of sacraments. The control of liturgical texts and sacramental formulas has been a matter of considerable controversy to many throughout the church, including bishops' conferences in Asia such as in Japan. 

Police arrest lawmaker over school arson attacks

A lawmaker in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province has been arrested for allegedly orchestrating a string of arson attacks on elementary schools..Yansen Alison Binti, 60, a Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerinda) politician and member of the Central Kalimantan Provincial Legislative Council, was arrested on Sept. 10.

Catholic TV network opens first UK studio at Walsingham

International Catholic TV network EWTN has opened its first studio and office in the UK in Walsingham. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster wrote: “Over the last 950 years Walsingham has been a place of pilgrimage, proclaiming the joy of the Annunciation; in this new chapter of its history, I welcome the opportunity for the Shrine and EWTN to work together as servants of the New Evangelization.”

The manuscript that defies science

 “Yale University also took us for crackpots!” Juanjo Garcia said with a smile. But to protect the manuscript from the risk of degradation or disappearance, Yale ended up consenting to have it reproduced. For this, they selected the masters of the tailormade facsimile, publishers Garcia, and Molinero, creators twenty years ago of the small Siloé publishing house based in Burgos, in northwest Spain.

Cardinal Tagle wants end to parochial church

"I hope that every parish really becomes a communion where we open doors, where we surpass our fears, and we see a brother or a sister whose wounds are my wounds too," said Cardinal Tagle. "New evangelization is fundamentally about the encounter with Jesus and without this there can be no other communion, communion without mission is unhealthy."

A catholic woman is appointed master of Balliol College, Oxford

Helen Ghosh was born in 1956 and had a schooling typical of middle-class Catholic girls of the time; she was educated by nuns at Farnborough Hill Convent School in Hampshire. From there, she went to Oxford where she read history and met her husband, the historian Peter Ghosh. It was also there that she first encountered the Dominicans at Blackfriars, who have provided her with spiritual nourishment ever since.

The sociology of French Catholics

A wide-ranging sociological study commissioned by the Bayard group and published jointly by La Croix and Pèlerin sheds unprecedented light on the makeup of French Catholicism. The two authors have distinguished six profile types, which provide tools for understanding the logic of a Catholic world that is far more diverse than may have appeared.

Bishops call for 'Christian hospitality' along the Camino de Santiago

Of the 278,000 people who traveled the ancient Roman Catholic pilgrims route in the north of Spain in 2016 only about a third did it "strictly for religious reasons". Attempting to re-conquer this "de-christianized" domain has become a major concern of the Church.

They promise to use social media to share the Word of God and inspire others

More than 2,000 young people from 21 Asian countries have committed to use social media to spread positivity and share the Word of God to inspire others. Their commitment was read out by two representatives of the young people during a closing ceremony of the 7th Asian Youth Day festivities in Yogyakarta Aug. 6.Asian Youth Day participants commit to wisely use social media 

Which way will church-state relations turn in Hong Kong?

Carrie Lam, a practicing Catholic, was sworn in as the Chief Executive of Hong Kong on July 1. In early August, Coadjutor Bishop Michael Yeung, former chief executive of Caritas Hong Kong, will be installed to succeed Cardinal John Tong as Bishop of Hong Kong. The relations between the church and the government will likely grow closer.

Martyrs honored as Vietnamese diocese celebrates 400 years

More than 20,300 Catholics killed during the 17th to 19th centuries Martyrs honored as Vietnamese diocese celebrates 400 years. About 10,000 Catholics attended the opening celebration on July 26 to mark the 400th anniversary of Catholicism being introduced in Qui Nhon Diocese.

CARING FOR CREATION - Parish Practice

Pope Francis does not seem to have trouble getting directly into parishes. For example, as well as activity in his own parish, Mike McLoughlin of St Elphege’s, Wallington, in Southwark Diocese, has run Laudato Si’ study programmes at five deanery meetings and at diocesan level. He and other parishioners are also active with the local group Sutton for Justice and Peace, which recently promoted the message for Refugee Week of “Refugees welcome here”.

Vatican turns off fountains as Rome gasps in drought

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Vatican authorities began on Monday to turn off some 100 fountains, including two Baroque masterpieces in St. Peter's Square, due to a prolonged drought affecting the tiny city state and the city of Rome which surrounds it. Caring for the planet and its resources is an important issue for Pope Francis, who demanded swift action by world leaders in the first ever papal document dedicated to the environment.

A prominent French Philosopher drowns trying to rescue children near St Tropez

Understanding Grace more deeply

The mark of genuine contrition is not a sense of guilt, but a sense of sorrow, of regret for having taken a wrong turn; just as the mark of living in grace is not a sense of our own worth but a sense of being accepted and loved despite our unworthiness. We are spiritually healthy when our lives are marked by honest confession and honest praise.

Catholic volunteers foster peace in Mindanao, Philippines.

Catholic laypeople from across the Philippines have gone to live in Muslim communities in Mindanao for a year to foster "peace through intercultural dialogue." The volunteers are serving as assistant teachers of subjects mandated by the education department in Islamic schools in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The program is an initiative of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines implemented by the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Davao.

Personal testimonies 'best way to evangelize youth'

Want to effectively inculcate the Gospel to young minds? Use personal testimonies. "Personal, authentic testimony is a form of new evangelization" that strongly appeals to the youth, according to Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila. July 1 event in Manila where more than 15,000 young Catholics gathered in prayer and discussions.