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December 1, 2016
Finding inspiration in the opening prayer of the day “May Your grace conquer the obstacles caused by our sins”, Pope Francis said each of us have obstacles in our hearts which resist God’s grace.
OTTAWA – The Catholic Organization for Life and Family board has appointed Michel MacDonald as the agency’s new director.
Fidel Castro is dead. Canada’s prime minister, whose father was an admirer and friend of the tyrant, is struck with grief, but it is not widely shared. Fidel’s death is an advance for Cuba. A more significant step forward will be when Fidel’s brother Raul, to whom power was handed over in 2006, follows his brother into eternity.
VATICAN CITY – Dozens of prisoners staged a “flash mob” inside an Italian men’s prison to celebrate Pope Francis’ calls for prison reform and greater tolerance and acceptance of the world’s migrants.
VIENNA, Austria – European leaders gathered this week at a conference in Vienna to discuss Christian persecution and its resounding effect on Europe, particularly emphasizing the need to seriously address religious discrimination and genocide around the world.
BRUSSELS – Pax Christi International has called for a new peace process to end violence among Israelis and Palestinians and assure fundamental human rights as defined by international law.
There can hardly be a voter or politician who doesn’t believe Canada’s shamefully high rate of child poverty should be promptly reduced and eventually eliminated.
WASHINGTON – Pro-life leaders have expressed their dissatisfaction as House Democrats re-elected pro-abortion Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as the House Minority Leader.
Have you ever sat in complete silence for a half hour?
MANILA, Philippines – An uptick in terrorist activity may cause Masses and other liturgical celebrations to be suspended in the capital city of Manila, Philippines, the country’s bishop’s conference has announced.
The U.S. national election brought many issues that the Roman Catholic Church has to face. Below, Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, the former chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Task Force to Promote Peace in Our Communities, addresses the racism that came to the forefront in this U.S. political cycle.
December 2, 2016
It was a night filled with chatter and soft Christmas tunes, but with a very serious message about women abuse.
EDMONTON –The onset of state-sanctioned euthanasia represents a “seismic shift” in values that the world will someday regret, said one of Canada’s pre-eminent bioethicists.
OTTAWA – Despite calls for a “thorough and vigorous vetting,” Canada’s Transgender Bill C-16 was given high praise as debate began on the legislation in the Senate on Nov. 28.
VATICAN CITY – In his latest prayer video, which highlights his prayer intention for the month of December, Pope Francis focused on putting an end to the phenomenon of child-soldiers, which he called a “form of slavery.”
VATICAN CITY – Stephen Hawking’s visit to the Vatican this week has raised curiosity, with some asking what exactly the famed astrophysicist and self-proclaimed atheist was doing in the heart of the Catholic Church.
ROME, Italy – A nun in the Democratic Republic of Congo was murdered earlier this week by unknown suspects in an apparent robbery, the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions has reported.
PARIS – The president of the French bishops' conference wrote French President Francois Hollande to express his worries about fast-tracked legislation that would extend illegal interference on abortions to websites. Archbishop Georges Pontier of Marseille, president, said the bishops think the legislation questions the very foundations of liberties in France, and he urged Hollande to not allow the bill's passage.
November 30, 2016
WARSAW, Poland – Europe's top Catholic charitable agency has published a "road map for social justice and equality," urging all church members to defend the poor and marginalized.
The efforts to help churches develop better environmental practices took another hopeful step forward on Nov. 25 as Green Churches Network director Norman Lévesque met with papal nuncio Luigi Bonazzi.