A severe vocations crisis is on full display in Dublin: its seminary has just one student. Fr Séamus McEntee, the vocations director for the Archdiocese of Dublin, confirmed the worrying number. “In September, we will have another man coming in… I wish there were more” he said. McEntee also mentioned ongoing conversations with other men Read more
Homelessness does not have to be an insurmountable problem. “Shifting the needle on homelessness statistics in a truly meaningful way will take a collective and sustained effort” says Vinnies South Australia chief executive Evelyn O’Loughlin. She says organisations like Vinnies (the Society of St Vincent de Paul), all levels of government, businesses and the community Read more
Plans being made for a September papal visit to East Timor are drawing criticism from local human rights groups. The costs will be too high and people’s lives are already being disrupted they say. Extremely expensive Last Thursday human rights organisation Lao Hamutuk told Union of Catholic Asian (UCA) News that the Government’s budgeted US$12 Read more
After her water broke early, doctors told Fatima Goines to prepare for her newborn’s death. Goines was 22 weeks into her pregnancy, just past the halfway mark. Doctors at Methodist Hospital in suburban Minneapolis said they couldn’t save such a premature baby and that no hospital could. They told her that once the baby girl Read more
In a crackdown, Rwanda has shut down more than 5,600 places of worship over failure to meet the conditions required for operation. Churches, mosques, caves and tents affected by the shutdown were found to have fallen short of the standard requirements set by 2018 laws, according to officials conducting the two-week process that started July Read more
Singapore hanged a 59-year-old man for drug trafficking, authorities said, the second execution in the city-state in less than a week. The United Nations and rights groups say capital punishment has no proven deterrent effect and have called for it to be discontinued. Singaporean officials, however, insist it has helped make the country one of Read more
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Seán O’Malley as archbishop of Boston on Monday. He named the bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, Richard Henning, to replace him as leader of one of the most important Catholic archdioceses in the United States. The Vatican announcement didn’t mention O’Malley’s other main role as the pope’s main Read more
Former New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet has strongly opposed the COVID-19 vaccine mandates, labeling them “wrong”. The retiring politician, a Catholic, made the claim during a valedictory speech on Tuesday, reflecting on the government’s response to the pandemic. He suggested that the enforcement of the vaccine mandates impinged on individual freedoms. “If the impact Read more
Catholic theologians in Africa are proposing a gradual conversion of individuals in polygamous marriages while respecting cultural contexts and aligning with Catholic doctrine. At a recent theological symposium in Nairobi, experts discussed the complexities of polygamy in Africa. They suggested a phased conversion process for polygamous families entering the Catholic Church. This method seeks to Read more
Two prominent Venezuelan cardinals have called for “civic disobedience and resistance” against President Nicolás Maduro’s regime due to allegations of election fraud and severe government crackdowns on protests. In a leaked letter Cardinal Baltazar Porras, emeritus of Caracas, and Cardinal Diego Padrón, emeritus of Cumaná, assert the Church’s “moral duty to support and sustain just Read more