Lara, Australia | AFP | Cardinal George Pell was released from prison Tuesday, hours after Australia’s High Court quashed his conviction for child sex abuse, bringing an end to the most high-profile paedophilia case faced by the Catholic Church. The 78-year-old left Barwon Prison near Melbourne after the court overturned five …
Read More »Decongesting Namugongo: Catholic church gazettes special day for young pilgrims
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | On June 3rd, each year, thousands of faithfuls from all walks of life pack Uganda martyrs’ shrines at Namugongo. The area is highly congested due to the high number of people to extent that some of pilgrims sustain injuries as they fight to access the …
Read More »Former prostitutes among ex-nuns at Vatican shelter: cardinal
Rome, Italy | AFP | Former nuns “abandoned” by the Catholic Church, including some who became prostitutes to survive, have been sheltered at a Vatican residence for more than a year, a Brazilian cardinal said. Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz confirmed the house’s existence at an undisclosed location in Vatican City …
Read More »Dispute over former pope’s role in controversial book
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | The Vatican was gripped Tuesday by a dispute over whether elderly ex-pope Benedict XVI was being used by the Catholic Church’s ultra-conservative wing to undermine his successor Pope Francis. At least three Vatican correspondents cited a source close to Benedict saying the former pontiff …
Read More »Catholic church needs UGX 950m for 2020 Martyrs day celebrations
The annual celebration was set aside in honour of the martyrdom of 45 young men who converted to Christianity between 1885 and 1887 to the annoyance of the then Kabaka Mwanga II of Buganda, who ordered that they are burnt to death. Every year millions of pilgrims from within and …
Read More »Catholic church to unveil museum in memory of Muteesa I
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Catholic church in Uganda is in final stages of unveiling a grand religious museum depicting the history of Christianity and Catholicism in particular, since the 1870s when the first missionaries arrived in the country. The development has been revealed by the Kampala Archbishop Cyprian …
Read More »Pope to elevate British convert Newman to sainthood
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis creates five new saints on Sunday, including Britain’s Cardinal John Henry Newman — one of the Catholic Church’s most renowned converts — and a nun dubbed the “Mother Teresa of Brazil”. Heads of state from across the world are expected at the …
Read More »Catholicism in Africa
Churches face competition and a troubled legacy as they grow | JOSEPH HELLWEG | Pope Francis recently completed a seven-day tour of three African countries: Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. It was a significant trip for a number of reasons. During his visit, the pope spoke on issues of peace and …
Read More »Pope ‘not afraid’ of schism in Catholic Church
On board the papal plane, Undefined | AFP | Pope Francis said Tuesday he was “not afraid” of a schism in the Roman Catholic Church, in reference to attacks by conservative cardinals who frequently take aim at his papacy. “I’m not afraid of schisms. I pray that there won’t be one, …
Read More »Australia’s Cardinal Pell loses child sex abuse appeal
Melbourne, Australia | AFP | Disgraced Cardinal George Pell lost his appeal against child sex abuse convictions Wednesday, prompting relief from victims who fought to bring one of the Catholic Church’s most powerful men to justice. A former Vatican treasurer, Pell had been trying to overturn the verdicts and six-year sentence …
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