When news broke on New Year’s Eve that the Vatican’s two official spokespersons, American Greg Burke and Spaniard Paloma Garcia Ovejero, had resigned, words such as “sudden” and “unexpected” figured in many headlines.
International News
Details Published on Vatican Delaying USCCB Vote on Abuse Provisions
The Vatican asked U.S. bishops to delay voting on proposals for responding to the sexual abuse crisis back in November due to the lack of time given the Vatican to study the proposals and potential conflicts with church law, according to a letter obtained by the Associated Press.
Vatican Spokespersons Resign in Latest Comms Shake-up
On Monday the Vatican announced that Greg Burke and Paloma Garcia Ovejero, Director and Vice Director, respectively, of the Holy See Press Office, have resigned.
Sister Wendy Beckett, Art Critic and British TV Star, Dies at Age 88
Sister Wendy Beckett, who gained fame in the 1990s for television shows and books explaining art, died Dec. 26 in Norfolk, England, at the age of 88.
The Calm After The Storm: Five Years After Typhoon Haiyan
While memories of the gusting winds, catastrophic rain downpour and devastation that followed are vivid in the lives of those who were affected in New York and New Orleans, a similar chain of events were also felt by a resident across the world who lived through Super Typhoon Haiyan that struck the Philippines five years ago in November 2013.
Irish President Paves Way for Broad Access to Abortion
While Ireland’s new abortion law takes effect Jan. 1, by mid-December only 8 percent of family doctors had signed up to provide the terminations.
Vietnam, Vatican Soon To Upgrade Diplomatic Relations
Delegations from the Vatican and from Vietnam reported continued progress in their discussions, including agreeing on “upgrading” relations with a permanent papal representative “in the near future,” a Vatican press statement said.
Warm City, Warm Hearts: Panama Ready For Youth
“People are opening their homes to house young people. We were surprised by how the people responded to the appeal for housing. We want all the kids to have a place, a space, a home,” Father Aguilar said.
Pope Invokes New Set of Beatitudes For Politicians
Pope Francis often refers to the biblical Beatitudes as a path in the pursuit of mercy and personal holiness. Yet perhaps recognizing that the Bible never could have imagined the politics of the 21st century, the pontiff invoked an entirely new set of beatitudes for politicians in his 2019 message for the World Day of Peace.
Bangladeshi Migrants in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens
The emergence of the Bangladeshi migrants began in early 70s soon after the war of freedom (1971) from Pakistani rule. The Christian community being a minority in this new nation had to face the challenges of security, safety and future of their families. A sizeable number of families found their greener pastures in America, Canada and Australia. In each of these countries, they are the diaspora community searching for their identity in a multicultural context.