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January 2019

January 7

Pope Francis greets Coptic Christians celebrating Christmas

January 7, 2019

CAIRO, Egypt – Pope Francis sent Christmas and New Year’s greetings to Coptic Christians and all Egyptians upon the inauguration of a major Coptic cathedral, jointly opened with a larger mosque at the same complex.

Human rights activists frustrated over delay in naming mining ombud

January 7, 2019

More than 200 activists and organizations from 56 countries have asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get a move on and hire the ombudsperson he promised almost one year ago.

Fr. Tony Van Hee facing new charges over bubble zone protest

January 7, 2019

OTTAWA – A charge of intimidation under Ontario’s abortion bubble zone law against an 83-year old Catholic priest has been dropped and replaced with two other charges.

Protestant discovers the peace of Eucharistic adoration

January 7, 2019

WINNIPEG – In 2008, members of Holy Cross Parish in the Archdiocese of St. Boniface had an idea for something new: 24/7 perpetual Eucharistic adoration.

Two Windsor priests dismissed after abuse investigations

January 7, 2019

Two priests in Windsor, Ont., have been removed from their duties after separate investigations into allegations of sexual abuse.

January 8

As U.S. bishops meet, Vatican may be deciding fate of former cardinal

January 8, 2019

WASHINGTON – As U.S. bishops gathered in early January at a seminary in Illinois to pray and reflect about the American church's sex abuse crisis, reports trickled out about the possible fate of one their own being decided overseas.

French cardinal reaffirms innocence in sex abuse cover-up trial

January 8, 2019

PARIS – A French cardinal took the stand in court Jan. 7, the first day of a civil trial for church officials accused of covering up abuse by a priest.

Vatican sources say McCarrick case not handled by full judicial process

January 8, 2019

VATICAN – While recent media reports suggest that a trial of Archbishop Theodore McCarrick is underway, Vatican sources have told CNA that his case is not being handled by a full judicial process.

Peter Stockland: Millennial shatters all the stereotypes

January 8, 2019

If stereotypes are made to be deflated, Amanda Achtman is a young woman who carries a suitcase full of needles and hat pins.

If Turkey enters Syria, religious freedom at risk, Christians say

January 8, 2019

AMMAN, Jordan – Growing numbers of Christians in North America and Europe are joining Christians in Syria's northeast in expressing concern for the future of religious minorities and Kurds in that region should the U.S. give Turkey the "green light" to take over the fight against Islamic State.

Fight the culture of waste by caring for the sick, marginalized, Pope says on World Day of the Sick

January 8, 2019

VATICAN – Generously caring for the sick and the marginalized is the best way to combat a culture of waste and indifference that seeks to control and manipulate life, Pope Francis said.

Education budget cuts catch Ontario school boards by surprise

January 8, 2019

The rumours have been swirling through the halls of the Toronto Catholic District School Board that a more lean fiscal future will be the new reality, and a late Friday afternoon e-mail from the provincial government Dec. 14 did nothing to allay those fears.

Indonesian archbishop urges Catholics to ditch plastic bags

January 8, 2019

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Months after Indonesia's military was summoned to unclog Jakarta Bay, Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo has joined a chorus of disapproval of the nation's growing plastic waste problem by calling parishioners to action.

Ireland’s new abortion law ‘must be resisted’, bishops say

January 8, 2019

DUBLIN – The primate of All-Ireland insisted that the country’s new abortion law that took effect Jan. 1 has “no moral force” and it “must be resisted” by Catholics.

January 9

Nicaraguans face greater challenges than most heading to World Youth Day

January 9, 2019

WASHINGTON – Many will make sacrifices to attend the upcoming World Youth Day in Panama in late January, but few compare to the challenges facing young Catholics in nearby Nicaragua as the country deals with political and economic upheaval, some of it involving violent clashes with government forces that have plagued the Central American nation since last year.

Climate change caught in political battle over carbon tax

January 9, 2019

OTTAWA – Climate politics are shaping up as a federal election issue in a partisan scenario cautioned against by Pope Francis in Laudato Si’, his 2015 encyclical on the environment.

Ontario’s welfare reforms raise concerns

January 9, 2019

Welfare reforms that leave a big gap between the poverty line and being poor enough to receive benefits could end up forcing Church charities to make up the difference for thousands of disabled and marginally employable Ontarians.

Probe sought into Canadian-owned mine in Guatemala

January 9, 2019

In the absence of a long-promised federal ombudsperson, legal experts have asked the British Columbia Securities Commission to investigate the sale of a Canadian-owned silver mine in Guatemala.

Prayer has the power to change lives, hearts, Pope Francis says

January 9, 2019

VATICAN – God is a father who never ignores his children when they call to him in times of suffering, loneliness and despair, Pope Francis said.

Hawaii's assisted suicide law comes into effect, but physicians are not cooperating

January 9, 2019

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Hawaii's law legalizing assisted suicide went into effect last week, but many physicians and pharmacists are choosing not to prescribe or dispense the needed medication.