The largest Syriac Catholic congregation in the world is preparing physically and spiritually for Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Qaraqosh, Iraq.
International News
Ahead of Papal Visit, Iraq Closes Houses of Worship Due to COVID
Less than three weeks from Pope Francis’ highly anticipated trip to Iraq, the local government on Feb.14 announced new restrictions to try to curb the spread of COVID-19, which includes the closure of all houses of worship until the last day of his March 5-8 visit.
Responding to Coup, Biden Freezes Myanmar’s Military Assets in U.S.
U.S. President Joe Biden ordered new sanctions against the military regime in Myanmar to prevent six generals from accessing $1 billion in Myanmar government funds in the United States.
Opponents: Australian Bill on ‘Conversion’ Practices Is Attack on Freedoms
Groups across a wide spectrum reacted with dismay and concern to passage of a law in the Australian state of Victoria to ban “conversion” practices. Some called it an attack on freedom of religion and speech.
Catholic Aid Agency Laments ‘Cyclical Violence’ in Eastern Congo
A leading Catholic aid agency has condemned what it calls “cyclical violence and continuing human rights abuses targeting civilian populations in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces” of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Vatican Laments ‘Massacre of Elderly’ Due to COVID
After the “massacre of the elderly” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vatican is calling for the world to re-think the way it cares for old people.
Potential Trappists Offered Virtual Introduction to Religious Life With ‘eNovice’
Koningshoeven Abbey in the Netherlands has launched an online platform for aspiring monks: eNovice. This digital novitiate is a world first, according to the Dutch Trappists.
In ‘State of the World’ Speech, Pope Francis Talks COVID, Myanmar, 9/11
Pope Francis said Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic shows there are parts of the world that are “seriously ill,” not as a result of the virus but in its natural environment, its economic and political processes, and even more so in in its human relationships.
Analysis: Pope’s Move for Women’s Rights Anything but a Token Gesture
In what’s being hailed as a demonstration that Pope Francis is in earnest about empowering women within ecclesiastical structures, on Feb. 5, for the first time ever, the pontiff named a woman as the Promoter of Justice for the Appeals Court of the Vatican City State.
Naming Undersecretaries for Synod, Pope Francis Gives a Woman a Vote
Xaviere Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart will not be the first woman undersecretary of a major Vatican office, but she will be the first woman with a right to vote at a meeting of the Synod of Bishops.