WELLINGTON, New Zealand (CNS) – A miscommunication between the Vatican and New Zealand church officials resulted in an adventurous arrival for the prelate who coordinates a key commission of cardinals that advises Pope Francis. Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga arrived in Wellington Oct. 9. But New Zealand Catholic Church officials were expecting him to arrive […]
International News
Catholic Newspaper May Not Print ‘Allah’
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CNS) – A Malaysian court said a Catholic newspaper may not use the word “Allah” to refer to God in its Malay-language edition. A judge in the three-member appeals court said use of “the word Allah is not an integral part of the faith in Christianity. … The usage of the word […]
The Lights Are On in Berlin
An image of Mary and the Christ Child is projected on the facade of a hotel during the opening day of the Festival of Light in Berlin Oct. 9. Several landmarks and tourist spots in the German capital will be illuminated from Oct. 9 to Oct. 20.
Vatican Grabs the .catholic Domain
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As top-level Internet domain names are being rolled out and up for grabs, the Vatican has scored control of .catholic. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which coordinates the assignment of Internet domain names and addresses around the world, has been allowing entities to apply for ownership of […]
Filipino Church Assessing Damages
BOHOL, Philippines (CNS) – Bishop Leonardo Medroso of Tagbilaran said the Church in central Philippines is assessing damage after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake left dozens dead. The bishop, who said the Oct. 15 quake “was so strong,” told the Asian church news portal ucanews.com that Spanish-era churches in the towns of Loon and Carmen collapsed. […]
New Papal Style Speaks A Different Language
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When Pope Benedict XVI answered a journalist’s 2010 question about condom use by offering a nuanced reflection on the ethical complexities of a hypothetical case, his words led to a worldwide media sensation, a clarification by the Vatican spokesman and a statement from the Congregation for the […]
Outgoing Vatican Secretary Stresses Continuity
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as Vatican secretary of state drew rising criticism for failures of the Vatican bureaucracy he oversaw, stepped down Oct. 15 with a speech praising the pontificate of retired Pope Benedict XVI and stressing its continuity with that of Pope Francis. The cardinal made his remarks at a […]
Pope Warns About Restricting Role of Women in the Church
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said women’s “vocation and mission” today remain essentially connected to their capacity for motherhood but warned against unjustly restricting their participation in the Church or civil society on that basis. “Many things can change and have changed in our cultural and social evolution, but the […]
Pope Dedicates World to Mary
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Before a congregation of more than 100,000 in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis formally entrusted the world to Mary. “We are confident that each of us is precious in your sight,” the pope said Oct. 13, facing the statue of Mary that normally stands in the shrine […]
St. Therese’s Writing Desk on First US Tour
by Mark Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) – The Mission Month of October has been an eventful one for St. Therese of Lisieux, the patroness of the missions and missionaries, as the small wooden writing case she used to compose her spiritual masterpiece, Story of a Soul, is on a 20-diocese tour in the U.S. For the […]