Most Western Europeans identify as Christian, but say they do not, or seldom, attend church services – outnumbering those Christians who do attend church, a survey from the Pew Research Center has reported. Released May 29, results found in 12 of the 15 surveyed Western European countries, non-practicing Christians (defined as those who self-identify as Christian but report attending church services less than once per month) made up the largest religious group, beating out both religious “nones” and churchgoing Christians. The telephone survey was conducted in mid-2017 with more than…
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Former pro football player prepares to take final vows as a nun
Every single vocation story is different, but Sr. Rita Clare (Anne) Yoches is probably one of the more unusual. Sr. Rita Clare, who this month will profess final vows with the Franciscan Sisters T.O.R. of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother, was a four-time national champion professional football player prior to entering the convent. Yes, that’s American football. (She was a fullback.) Nowadays, the only football Yoches is playing is the annual two-hand touch game she organizes with the 38 T.O.R. sisters she lives with in Toronto, Ohio. Although she was raised Catholic…
Read MorePope at Mass: Let us think of one enemy, and pray for them
Pope Francis at Mass on Tuesday morning said the mystery of Christian life is loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors. He drew inspiration from the day’s Gospel (Mt 5:43-48), in which Jesus invites his followers to a higher standard of human relations, so as to be “perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The Holy Father said forgiveness, prayer, and love for those who seek to destroy us is the path Jesus has laid out for us. Forgive to be forgiven The challenge of Christian life, he…
Read MoreAustralian priests ‘willing to go to jail’ rather than break seal of confessional
South Australian priests have said that they would rather go to jail than break the seal of the confessional to report child abuse. South Australia has passed laws extending mandatory reporting to priests notified of paedophilic actions, even if it would require them to break the seal of confession. After a recommendation from the Royal Commission, other states are considering enforcing the law as well. However, many priests are rejecting this idea, stating they will not do anything that violates their beliefs. “The state will be requiring us as Catholic…
Read MoreVatican reports ‘crisis of vocations’ as seminarian numbers fall worldwide
The number of seminarians has fallen amid what a Vatican document calls a “crisis of vocations”. Between 2012 and 2016, the number of men in seminary training for the priesthood fell by nearly 4,000, to 116,160. The decline has been especially concentrated in the Americas and Europe. In Africa seminary numbers have steadily increased, with Uganda, Cameroon, Tanzania and Madagascar (an outlier with a 66 per cent rise) providing an especially large number of future priests. Seminary numbers, the report says, reached “a maximum in 2012 followed by a slow…
Read MoreNigerian Catholic Diocese of Awka set to bury their Parish priest
The Catholic Diocese of Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria has announced the burial arrangements of their loving Parish Priest, Late Very Rev. Fr. Christopher Azolibe. The schedule is as follow: SUNDAY 8TH JULY, 2018 2:00 pm : Requiem Mass @ St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Isuofia, Aguata L.G.A., Anambra State. (Hometown) 5:00pm : Requiem Mass @ Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church Igbo-Ukwu, Aguata L.G.A. Anambra State. (Assigned Parish as Parish Priest) MONDAY 9TH JULY, 2018 9:00am : Burial Mass @ St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Awka, Anambra State. By His Lordship, Most Rev.…
Read MoreMiracle God: The Congolese Catholic priest that contracted Ebola is healed
Fr.Lucian Ambunga, the Catholic priest who got infected with Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been healed. Earlier this week, Health officials in Congo revealed that the priest from the diocese of Mbandaka-Bikoro was quarantined after he tested positive to the Ebola virus. It was reported that Fr. Lucian contracted Ebola while ‘taking care of someone who passed away.’ Some weeks ago his Bishop in DRC was pictured praying for him where he was quarantined. Today! God healed him. He is back to his Parish. To God…
Read MoreAustralian law forces priests to violate seal of confessional
A new law requiring priests to break the seal of the confessional is “premature and ill-judged”, the Archbishop of Brisbane has said. Archbishop Mark Coleridge, President of the Australian bishops’ conference, said the law in Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was “seemingly driven by a desire to penalise the Catholic Church without properly considering the ramifications of the decision”. Priests in Canberra now face criminal charges for maintaining the seal of the confessional where someone confesses to child sexual abuse under new legislation passed by the ACT assembly. The move has…
Read MoreThird priest shot in Philippines in six months
A Philippine priest was shot dead on Sunday while preparing for Mass. Fr Richmond Nilo of the Diocese of Cabanatuan stood behind the altar of his church in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija, when two unidentified gunmen shot him through the window. An initial report stated the suspects fled the church by car. Nilo sustained four gunshot wounds and died on the scene. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) tweeted a letter condemning the “outrageously evil act.” “We pray for the eternal response of the soul of Fr Nilo. We…
Read MoreEnvy leads to false accusations, Pope Francis says
Pope Francis at the Sunday Angelus address told pilgrims and tourists that envy and jealousy for someone else’s goodness and good works can lead to false accusations. Reflecting on the day’s Gospel, the Holy Father explored two types of misunderstanding that Jesus had to face, which came from the learned scribes and from his own family members. Scribes’ unforgivable sin The Pope said the scribes of Jesus’ day were well instructed in the Sacred Scriptures, and their job was to explain them to people. Jesus’ fame was beginning to spread,…
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