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October 2016

October 25

God’s Kingdom grows through docility not with organization charts

October 25, 2016

Pope Francis said God’s Kingdom grows through its members showing docility and warned Christians against concentrating too much on structures and organization charts. He was speaking during his morning Mass on Tuesday celebrated in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.

South African church leaders warn against withdrawal from International Criminal Court

October 25, 2016

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – South Africa's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court could encourage a large-scale African exodus from the court and entrench impunity, warned the justice and peace commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference.

Venezuelan president meets with Pope amid crisis

October 25, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis met privately with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, urging a peaceful dialogue between the country's government and opposition to resolve the current political and economic crisis, the Vatican said.

Vatican, church set to open archives related to Argentina's 'dirty war'

October 25, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Following the authorization and recommendations of Pope Francis, documents housed in the Vatican and Argentine church's archives pertaining to Argentina's "dirty war" will be made available for review, said a joint press statement.

Vatican releases instruction on burial, cremation

October 25, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Professing belief in the resurrection of the dead and affirming that the human body is an essential part of a person's identity, the Catholic Church insists that the bodies of the deceased be treated with respect and laid to rest in a consecrated place.

October 26

Archbishop Bolen returns to his Regina roots

October 26, 2016

REGINA – Two days after the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, Donald Bolen was installed as Archbishop of the Regina Archdiocese.

Father vows to keep fighting after Molly and Cassie’s law defeated

October 26, 2016

OTTAWA – Jeff Durham vows to keep fighting for changes in the law in the wake of the defeat of Cassie and Molly’s Law, a bill named after his murdered unborn daughter and her mother, Cassie Kaake.

Faith communities are integral to healing poverty

October 26, 2016

OTTAWA – Faith communities are an integral component in the struggle to overcome poverty, faith leaders told a conference on the subject.

Refugee deaths at sea reach all-time high, U.N. agency reports

October 26, 2016

ROME – The number of migrants and refugees who have died while making the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean is expected to reach an all-time high in 2016, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency said.

Walls aren't answer to people fleeing war, climate change, Pope says

October 26, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Closing doors to immigrants and refugees is not the answer – in fact, it only helps encourage the crime of human trafficking, Pope Francis said.

Australian police question Cardinal Pell in Rome regarding alleged sexual abuse

October 26, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Australian police questioned Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, in Rome regarding accusations of alleged sexual abuse.

Vietnam, Holy See continue bilateral discussions at the Vatican

October 26, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Delegations from the Vatican and from Vietnam reported continued progress in discussions between their two countries, a Vatican press statement said.

Ecumenical papal trip also will show pain of division, Lutheran says

October 26, 2016

VATICAN CITY – The extension of Pope Francis' trip to Sweden by one day to accommodate a papal Mass for the nations' Catholics does not detract from the ecumenical power of the trip, but actually highlights the need for Christian unity, said the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation.

Retired archbishop says Myanmar's Kachin people 'live in fear'

October 26, 2016

DUBLIN – The retired archbishop of Mandalay, Myanmar, said the Kachin people are "very fearful" and have "little hope of peace" any time soon.

Sorrow and joy: Marking the Reformation with honesty about the past

October 26, 2016

VATICAN CITY – As Catholics and Lutherans prepare to mark the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, Pope Francis said they should feel "pain for the division that still exists among us, but also joy for the brotherhood we have already rediscovered."

Al-Shabab attack on Kenyan border town once again targets non-Muslims

October 26, 2016

NAIROBI, Kenya – A suspected al-Shabab raid in the border town of Mandera has left at least 12 people dead and has reignited a sequence of bloody attacks on Christians in northern Kenya.

Bishops endorse social justice after Kairos exit

October 26, 2016

A recent decision to withdraw from Kairos doesn’t in any way diminish the commitment of Canada’s bishops to ecumenism or social justice action, according to the bishops.

October 27

Ecumenical papal trip: Touching the Christian heart of secular Sweden

October 27, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis' recent insistence on "walking ecumenism," the notion that Christians will draw closer to each other as they work together to help the poor, should resonate well with Lutherans and Catholics in Sweden.

Unethical to silence professor for refusing transgender pronouns, says ethicist

October 27, 2016

OTTAWA – Efforts to silence a University of Toronto professor for refusing to use transgender pronouns are unethical, said Catholic bioethicist Moira McQueen.

Montreal basilica’s green space sold to business school

October 27, 2016

With a potentially expensive court decision looming, Montreal's historic Catholic mother church is selling its valuable green space and adjacent parking lot in the city's downtown core.