Categorized Under: World News
Italian Bishop Warns Laity: ‘The Altar Is Not a Stage’
An Italian bishop is warning laity and visitors to the diocese's cathedral and churches not to treat the altar like a stage. On Advent Sunday, the diocese of Lucera-Troia, in the ecclesiastical region of Puglia in southern Italy, posted a stern rebuke on its website that lambasted individuals who used the altar "in a sometimes neurotic search for visibility." Read more
New Film Blames Bible Translation for ‘Homophobia’
A new pro-LGBT documentary is blaming the "anti-gay movement among Christians" on a "grave mistranslation" of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Director Sharon "Rocky" Roggio's film 1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted Culture, claims that the word "homosexual" was never meant to be in the Bible, and its inclusion has created a justification for claiming that homosexual acts are sinful. Read more
Russia Bans Pro-Gay Activism
The Supreme Court of Russia is outlawing pro-gay activism in the country. The court on Thursday approved a request by the Justice Ministry to declare "the international LGBT social movement" as "extremist." The Justice Ministry said in its Nov. 17 appeal that the LGBT movement shows "various signs and manifestations of extremist orientation, including the incitement of social and religious discord." Read more
Once-Catholic Spain Persecuting Rosary Protesters
The Spanish government is attempting to prevent citizens from publicly praying the Rosary in protest of the country's socialist government. Spanish officials are targeting Catholics who meet every night in front of the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Madrid to pray the Rosary in opposition to their corrupt leadership. Read more
Which Countries Respect God’s Definition of Marriage?
A new set of polls is revealing the vast range of support for gay so-called marriages around the world. A report released on Monday by the Pew Research Center broke down the views of 32 geographic areas on whether homosexuals should legally be allowed to contract a marriage. Read more
Pope’s Trip to Dubai Canceled Over Illness
Pope Francis is no longer traveling to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference as he continues to recover from illness. The Vatican announced on Tuesday that the nearly 87-year-old pontiff would no longer make the trip after physicians suggested that he remain at the Vatican. Read more
Ailing Pope to Travel to Dubai for Climate Conference
Pope Francis is reaffirming his commitment to travel to the United Arab Emirates this week to speak at the U.N. climate conference. Pope Francis revealed on Sunday that he plans to travel to Dubai for COP28, despite his current infirmity, which he described as "inflammation of the lungs." Read more
Finnish Politician Acquitted in High-Profile Free Speech Case
In a decision that has resonated across Europe, a court has acquitted a prominent politician of hate speech charges centering around biblical quotes and homosexuality. Päivi Räsänen, a former interior minister in the Finnish Parliament, faced accusations over her statements on homosexuality based on Scripture. Her comments sparked international debate over the balance between freedom of expression and hate speech laws. Read more
Italian Bishops’ Report Reveals Clergy Abuse of Girls
The overwhelming majority of victims of clerical sex abuse in 2022 were girls between the ages of 15 and 18, a report from the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) has revealed. The report, titled "Protect, Prevent, Train: On the Territorial Network for Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults," which was released on Thursday, identified 25 of 54 victims of clergy sex abuse as post-pubescent minor females from 186 dioceses. Read more
Francis Puts Pro-Tradition Bishop on Tight Leash
In a move that some argue is designed to impede an incumbent's episcopal autonomy, Pope Francis will appoint a coadjutor bishop to the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon to monitor pro-traditionalist Bp. Dominique Rey. The 58-year-old Bp. François Touvet, currently bishop of Châlons in Champagne, will work alongside 71-year-old Bp. Rey and succeed him when Rey retires in the next four years, Le Figaro reported on Thursday. Read more
Rome’s Doctrine Czar Confirms Ban on Freemasonry
Catholics are forbidden from membership in Masonic lodges "because of the irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry," the Vatican's doctrine watchdog has confirmed. In a statement published Monday responding to a question from Msgr. Julito Cortes, bishop of Dumaguete, Philippines, Cdl. Victor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, reiterated the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons. Read more
Catholic Charity Bigwig Announces ‘Act of Apostasy’
A top Polish charity worker and theologian has submitted an "act of apostasy" and announced that he is leaving Catholicism to escape from "heinous crimes" like "abuse of minors and the pretense that it does not exist in the church." Slamming the institutional Church as a "mafia" guilty of "sheltering criminals," Sebastian Wiśniewski, deputy director of Caritas in Białystok, said the decision was "the result of years of work and observations in Caritas and almost 50 years as a Catholic." Read more
‘America’s Bishop’ No Longer Ordinary of Tyler, Texas
Pope Francis has removed a Texas bishop from his office, a move shocking many in the Church. The move was announced Saturday in the Holy See's daily bulletin after Francis yesterday reportedly met with Cdl. Robert Francis Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops. Read more
Nigerian Christians Still Being Persecuted
A new report is again trying to focus the public's attention on the extreme level of persecution Christians are undergoing throughout the world. International Christian Concern, headquartered in Washington, D.C., published its new report this month detailing the suffering of hundreds of millions of Christians in the most heavily persecuted countries in the world. Read more
Pope Francis Ruled Against ‘Trans’ Godparents in 2015
Acting under Pope Francis' direction in 2015, the Vatican's doctrine watchdog ruled against transsexuals serving as godparents for baptisms, stating that people who identify as transgender "cannot be admitted to the position of either godmother or godfather." Catholic LGBT activists are hailing the latest decree published Wednesday by the same Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and signed by Pope Francis for seemingly reversing the ban on transgender individuals becoming godparents at a Catholic baptism. Read more
