World News
Citing ‘systemic failures’ in handling abuse, cardinal resigns
German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 67, has submitted his resignation to Pope Francis, saying that bishops must accept responsibility for the personal and institutional failures of the church in handling the clerical sexual abuse crisis.
Australia’s plenary council requires listening by people, leadership
The head of the bishops of Australia, where a type of church synod is beginning, sees the action of the Holy Spirit in the "messy" process. He hopes it will come to the U.S. to transcend ideologies and "come to something new that only God can reveal to us."
Brazil sees rapid rise in land conflicts, Catholic agency reports
The 1,576 disputes involving more than 80,000 families and 900,000 people were largely over land, water and labor, said the Catholic-affiliated Pastoral Land Commission.
Fears rise over China’s growing crackdown on Christian religious leaders
Observers believe that China's communist regime has been moving slowly to crush religious groups, including Catholic and Protestant churches that it deems illegal and a threat to party rule, and its religious persecution is intensifying under President Xi Jinping.
Hong Kong Masses remember Tiananmen Square protesters
The city's annual candlelight vigils in a park have been banned since the Chinese government in Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong last June. This year's memorial will be limited to seven Catholic churches.
With world still in knots, pope turns to Mary with prayers
Beside an image of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, Pope Francis asked Mary to untie specific knots that have individuals and the whole world tangled in suffering and difficulty, either because of the COVID-19 pandemic or people's selfish reactions to it.
Canadian Catholic leaders express sorrow over deaths of Indigenous children
The bodies of more than 200 children, some as young as 3, were discovered buried on the site of what was once Canada's large Indigenous residential school. It was founded in 1890 and run by Catholic religious orders and the Canadian government.
Canon law revision updates punishments for clergy sex abusers
Pope Francis has extensively updated a section of church law that addresses sexual abuse explicitly, including child pornography. The required actions of a bishop or superior of a religious order in handling allegations are more stringent.
Pope orders visitation of Archdiocese of Cologne
Pope Francis has ordered a probe of the German archdiocese, led by a Swedish cardinal and Dutch bishop, to investigate how accusations of clerical sexual abuse were handled there.
Rosary marathon to end with prayers that Mary undo ‘knots’ tied by COVID-19
Pope Francis will entrust to the Blessed Mother five prayer intentions, or five "knots" to undo: injured relationships; unemployment; violence; access to health care; and renewed pastoral outreach.