World News
Church proud of Chinese Catholics’ ‘witness of faith’
While the Holy See continues to dialogue with the Chinese government, the church is proud of Catholics who have held on to their faith in the country, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.
Sri Lankan official requests special trial for Easter bombing suspects
The trial would hear cases against 25 suspects accused in the 2019 attacks that killed 279 people, including 37 foreign nationals in three cities, and which hit three churches during Mass. Catholics have joined protests over the lack of justice in the cases.
Australian school named for teen on way to sainthood
A fast-growing region of an Australian outback diocese has announced what is believed to be the world's first K-12 school to be named after a teenage computer programmer beatified by Pope Francis last year, Blessed Carlo Acutis.
Rwandan immigrant turns himself in for killing French priest
Emmanuel Abayisenga, 40, a Catholic, had been awaiting trial for the arson of the cathedral in Nantes, near where Montfort Father Olivier Maire had offered him housing. The murder provoked criticism of French immigration policies from right-wing politicians.
800-year-old church organ in Bethlehem may breath new life
A project to study and restore the 221 remaining original organ pipes from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem may fill a gap of knowledge in the history of the organ and its cultural context, medieval church culture, music and technology.
Hundreds of migrants stuck in limbo on rescue boats in Mediterranean
Two boats carrying 800 migrants saved from sinking or overcrowded vessels have been forced to roam the international waters of the Mediterranean for more than four days, awaiting permission to dock at a port. Some 30,000 migrants have entered Italy by sea this year.
Congo’s bishops want an end to attacks on Catholic Church, its leaders
A pattern of church bombings, vandalism and verbal attacks in the African nation poses "a serious attack on freedom of religion and expression" and "a violation of democracy," said conference secretary Father Donatien Nshole in an Aug. 2 statement.
Pope appeals for aid to Lebanon, still suffering one year after blast
After one of history's largest non-nuclear explosions killed at least 214 and displaced 300,000, Pope Francis called upon the world to aid the Middle East nation "not only with words but with concrete actions."
Vatican releases rules for online learning for ecclesiastical universities
In an Aug. 2 statement, the Congregation for Catholic Education encouraged pontifical universities to expand course access to prisoners, migrants, the homeless, monks, contemplative nuns and even busy bishops.
Latin-rite bishop says separatists bar priests from eastern Ukraine
Auxiliary Bishop Jan Sobilo of the Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia urged Western church leaders to speak out amid new fears of violence from Russian-backed forces, ahead of a visit from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.