As aid projects go, Father John de la Salle Cha Poong’s started giving out disposable cameras to poor children in Zambia, then a year later in Mongolia, followed by Burundi and Laos in 2011 and Sri Lanka this year. Many pictures present a more nuanced and realistic snapshot of what life is like in some of Read more
The Saint Louis Tribune was not alone in casting doubt as to whether Dorothy Day could become a saint: They asked, “Could a bohemian journalist, who had a failed marriage and an abortion, be a candidate for Catholic canonization?” This, it seems to me, is a bit of a strange question because in reality aren’t all Read more
Even though he hasn’t sent a single tweet yet, Pope Benedict had more than half a million Twitter followers in eight languages on Tuesday, the day after the Vatican unveiled his handle: @Pontifex. They included people ranging from the simple Roman Catholic faithful to a Jewish head of state. “Your holiness, welcome to Twitter. Our Read more
How many modern popes smoked? Pius X took snuff and smoked cigars. Benedict XV did not smoke and did not like others’ smoke. Pius XI smoked an occasional cigar. Pius XII did not smoke. And John XXIII smoked cigarettes. Paul VI was a non-smoker. So was John Paul I, though Vatican officials appeared to hint—just Read more
In Kentucky, a homeland security law requires the state’s citizens to acknowledge the security provided by the Almighty God-or risk 12 months in prison. The law and its sponsor, state representative Tom Riner, have been the subject of controversy since the law first surfaced in 2006, yet the Kentucky state Supreme Court has refused to Read more
A hatch on a Swedish church tower inadvertently left open for some three decades resulted in 2 tonnes of pigeon droppings amassing in the tower. The church’s property manager says the layer of droppings was 30 centimetres deep when it was discovered during a May inspection of the Heliga Trefaldighets Kyrka in Gavle, 170 kilometers Read more
What is it with Thailand, Apple and Buddhist temples lately? First, an abbott of the Wat Phra Dhammakaya said that Steve Jobs was kickin’ it in the afterlife as a mid-level angel with his own celestial palace. Now, a temple in Thailand’s Chom Phra district has decided that Buddha carries around an iPad with him Read more
A 20-year-old Brazilian student has sold her virginity in an online auction to a Japanese man named Natsu for £483,000, or $772,000 in U.S. dollars. Catarina Migliorini’s virginity was bid on by 15 people. Lucas Zaiden placing the starting bid of $1 earlier on the Web site Virgins Wanted. The auction was organized by Australian Read more
Monks at Ampleforth Abbey can celebrate after their beer was named “Best Drink of 2012” at the Deliciously Yorkshire Awards recently. Their unique Abbey Beer beat off competition from across Yorkshire to walk away with the accolade less than six months since it was first put on the market. “Although Ampleforth Abbey Beer is based Read more
A man in the US has lost his leg and is suing a church after a crucifix he prayed to every day fell on him. David Jimenez, a 45-year-old man from New York, offered to clean the crucifix as a service after he prayed to the monument every day while his wife, Delia, was fighting Read more