The Great Al-Tahira Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Bakhdida was charred black inside after the Islamic State set it aflame after taking control of the town in 2014. Now the restored cathedral is preparing to welcome Pope Francis during his trip to Iraq next month.
Pandemic creating “vast new reservoirs of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking,” warns Cardinal
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, preaching in Westminster Cathedral at a Mass for the Feast of St Josephine Bakhita, warns that the COVID-19 pandemic has created an order of people in distress, poverty, isolation and anxiety – something that ruthless traffickers are quick to exploit.
Cardinal Nichols: Pandemic and Environmental change increase Human Trafficking
Image credit: CBCEW Launch of the Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse at St Mary’s University Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of both the …
Pope Francis tells diplomats ‘right to life’ is a foundational human right
Pope Francis told diplomats at the Vatican today that it is “painful” for him to see more countries move away from “their inalienable duty to protect human life” from conception to natural death.
Pope Francis asks people to pray for every victim of human trafficking
Pope Francis has asked people to pray today for every person who is currently a victim of human trafficking.
Pope Francis prays for stability in Burma as protestors condemn coup
Pope Francis prayed this morning for justice and national stability in Burma as tens of thousands protest the 1 February military coup.
Pope Francis names religious sister, priest as under-secretaries of the Synod of Bishops
Pope Francis today appointed a Spanish priest and a French religious sister as under-secretaries of the Synod of Bishops.
It is the first time a woman has held a position of this level within the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.
Pope Francis calls Focolare Movement to ‘dynamic fidelity’ after election of new president
Pope Francis today encouraged the Focolare Movement to have “dynamic fidelity” as the third president of the international Catholic organization begins her term.
London priest’s near-death experience and passionate call for vaccination uptake
Father Albert Ofere’s a Nigerian priest serving at English Martyrs Catholic Church in Wembley, north west London. Last year he contracted Covid-19 and was admitted to nearby Northwick Park Hospital – something he describes as truly frightening.
Tributes paid to the independent National Catholic Safeguarding Commission chair
Tributes have been paid to Chris Pearson, the chair of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC), who sadly died in hospital following a short illness on 30 January 2020.
Pope Francis calls human fraternity the ‘challenge of our century’
Human fraternity is “the challenge of our century,” Pope Francis said yesterday, as he marked the first International Day of Human Fraternity together with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb.
Pope Francis hails musicians’ ‘new creativity’ amid pandemic disruption
Pope Francis praised musicians yesterday for showing “new creativity” despite severe restrictions imposed on their work by the coronavirus pandemic.
Bishops’ Conference President supports Cardinal Bo’s call for nonviolence, democracy and dialogue in Myanmar
Cardinal Nichols and Cardinal Bo Credit: CBCEW Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has expressed his prayerful support …
Pope Francis’ Angelus address moves outdoors as coronavirus restrictions ease in Rome
Pope Francis will speak to a live audience once again as his weekly Angelus address moves back to St. Peter’s Square on Sunday after a seven-week absence.
The pope leads the traditional Marian prayer from the Vatican every Sunday at noon local time — usually from a window overlooking the square, which is filled with people who come to hear him.
French Catholic bishops: Fight against anti-Semitism ‘must be everyone’s business’
French Catholic bishops signed on Monday a declaration denouncing rising anti-Semitism in the presence of Jewish leaders in Paris.
“Anti-Semitic expression has indeed regained an unexpected vigor,” French bishops’ conference president Archbishop Moulins-Beaufort said before the declaration was signed in Paris on 1 February.
Pope Francis: Without liturgy, Christianity is without the whole of Christ
Pope Francis gives a general audience address in the library of the Apostolic Palace Feb. 3, 2021. Credit: Vatican Media. Pope Francis said today that …
Pope Francis dedicates February to prayer for women suffering from violence
Pope Francis has dedicated the month of February to prayer for women who are victims of violence.
Blessed Sacrament found intact after explosion at Madrid parish
Rescuers in Madrid, Spain announced last week that a consecrated host was found intact amid the rubble left behind from the explosion of a building next to the Virgen de la Paloma parish.
Vatican cardinal: Protecting Catholic doctrine will ‘always be necessary’
The Vatican’s doctrinal chief has emphasized the Catholic Church’s duty to promote and protect her teachings as passed down by the Apostles.
Pope Francis adds feast of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus to Church calendar
The Raising of Lazarus (1857), by Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat. Public Domain. Pope Francis today added the memorial of Sts. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus to …