CARDINAL John Tong Hon of Hong Kong has issued an “urgent appeal” to Communist Party chiefs in Beijing, calling on them to order a halt to an ongoing cross-removal campaign from Christian churches in Zhejiang province. “I sincerely and urgently appealed to the central government to contact the Zhejiang provincial government and investigate the real situation and stop all illegal ... Read More »
By Oliver Maksan of ACN ON August 6, 2014 the life of the church in Iraq was changed forever. More than 120,000 Christians were forced to flee from jihadists of the terrorist organisation Islamic State. Since then, most have been living as destitute refugees inside or outside of Iraq. One year later, the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in ... Read More »
THE head of the United States bishops’ pro-life committee urged senators on August 3 to take the federal money that goes to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and instead fund women’s health care providers that do not promote abortion. “It has long been troubling to many Americans that the nation’s largest abortion network, performing over a third of ... Read More »
THE Polish bishop overseeing preparations for World Youth Day 2016 has urged priests to ensure that no young people are excluded because of poverty. Auxiliary Bishop Damian Muskus of Krakow, Poland, which is hosting the international celebration, said arranging for young people who might not be able to attend the event would be “our priestly gifts for youngsters in this ... Read More »
SELF/LESS: Starring Ryan Reynolds, Ben Kingsley, Matthew Goode, Natalie Martinez, Michelle Dockery. Directed by Tarsem Singh. Rated M (Violence, mature the,es and infrequent coarse language) 117 minutes By Kurt Jensen THE gunfire and car crashes that dominate the second hour of the soul-swapping thriller Self/less are sure signs that this ponderous property has run out of ideas. Yet director Tarsem ... Read More »
THE president of the Philippine bishops’ conference called climate change a matter of social justice and said caring for Earth should not just be a goal to benefit this generation but also future generations. Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan cited Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on the climate change, as a call for “Catholics and Christians to be passionate ... Read More »
THE GALLOWS: Starring Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos, Cassidy Gifford, Travis Cluff. Directed by Travis Cluff. Rated M (Supernatural themes and violence) 81 minutes. By John Mulderig AS if the average high school weren’t a scary enough venue already, “The Gallows” adds a ghost to the mix. Though little blood flows as this noose-toting spectre stalks the locker-lined halls, ... Read More »
ONE year after a war with Israel that turned daily life into a nightmare, a Catholic priest in Gaza said the situation in the besieged Palestinian territory had deteriorated further. “Compared with a year ago, we’re worse off. Although a truce stopped the war, the blockade of Gaza by Israel has grown more intense. This has direct consequences for the ... Read More »
THE Holy See welcomed Iran’s historic nuclear deal and expressed hopes that more breakthroughs were on the horizon on other issues. Holy See spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said “the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program is viewed in a positive light by the Holy See”. “It constitutes an important outcome of the negotiations carried out so far, although continued ... Read More »
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