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January 2, 2024
As an expression of ongoing affection and gratitude for the late Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis led tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square in a round of applause for his predecessor on the first anniversary of his death.
Since Christmas, Nicaraguan police and paramilitaries have detained more than a dozen priests, including an archdiocesan vicar, as the Sandinista regime escalates a campaign of terror against the Catholic Church -- an institution it has struggled to subdue.
In its annual report on Catholic missionaries murdered during the year, the Vatican-based news agency, Fides, noted what many of them had in common was living a normal life in areas where violence had become common.
On New Year's Eve, believers and non-believers alike give thanks for all they have received in the last 12 months and express their hopes for the coming year, but Christians are called to cultivate their gratitude and hope following the example of Mary, Pope Francis said.
As 2024 begins, Christians in Pakistan are winding up a year of violence and mayhem, with the hope of a new government to bring respite to their suffering after the national elections in February.
January 3, 2024
About 200 Nigerian Christians lost their lives in multi-day attacks that left hundreds more injured and displaced.
For many of the downtrodden who find themselves filling the 108 beds each night at Vancouver’s Catholic Charities Men’s Shelter, it’s a devastating cycle that an ever-worsening economy just won’t let them exit.
Catholic college signs partnership deal with Vietnam university
Quinton Amundson · January 4, 2024
King’s University College is hoping the new five-year strategic partnership struck with a prominent Vietnamese university will create a stream of enriching academic opportunities for students and faculty.
David Agren · January 4, 2024
The U.S. Department of State has demanded the release of Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa and other imprisoned Nicaraguan religious leaders following a wave of detentions targeting Catholic clergy over the Christmas season.
Argentina's Catholic Church will no longer receive public funding, concluding a process established by the country's bishops' conference for the church to provide its own financing.
Barb Fraze · January 4, 2024
Prominent Hong Kong Catholic, philanthropist and media mogul Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty to endangering national security in a trial that democracy advocates around the world said includes bogus charges.
From the Web Archive
January 4, 2024
Fr. Cristino Bouvette knew the first guided tour of the future Sacred Heart Parish would be a profoundly stirring experience for his congregation.
In one of those glorious paradoxes ubiquitous in Christian faith, instantaneous argy-bargy over the Vatican’s pre-Christmas document on blessing “irregular” relationships served to recall the supremacy of Christ among us.
I nearly fell out of my chair when I opened The Catholic Register in November and saw the Letters to the Editor section in its full glory. It was refreshing to once again experience the beating pulse of the community that doubles as a barometer for all, and a compass to you. Can we do it again, please?
I congratulate Rudy Fernandes for his beautifully expressed sentiments in the Dec. 17th Catholic Register about the effort of he and his wife Maureen to keep Christ in our Christmas wishes.
In promoting blessing of same-sex couples, Pope Francis argues “...those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection” or “...be subjected to too many moral prerequisites.” In other words, don’t judge their likely sinful activity.
Caffeine culture finds home at Notre Dame’s Café des Tours
Quinton Amundson · January 5, 2024
Café des Tours, located on the lower level of the historic Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica in Ottawa, is emerging as a delightful exception to the Canadian cup of joe paradigm since its opening last summer.
Questioning Faith
Mary Marrocco · January 5, 2024
“The proudest moment in my life,” Tom Sawyer calls it. It’s a comically poignant moment in Mark Twain’s novel when Tom and Huck attend their own funeral.
Church on the Street
Dcn. Robert Kinghorn · January 5, 2024
I have written before of my respect for folk singers who look at the world and give voice to truths that are often hidden from our view. Many years ago, I heard such a phrase that has haunted me, and in some ways has shaped the ministry of the Church on the Street: “Truth is a story scribbled in chalk, an hour before the flood.”
Figure of Speech
Gerry Turcotte · January 5, 2024
I think we can all agree that mobile phones are now ubiquitous. What I hadn’t expected was that their impact was literally changing our body shapes.