More than 300 Christians in 50 countries are kidnapped or unjustly imprisoned every month because of their faith, pontifical foundation laments in new report
“While dialogue may not be able to prevent all atrocities, solidarity in the wake of violence can help to heal communities in the aftermath of trauma”
“Freedom of worship is not dependent upon the freedom of assembly, but an essential part of freedom of religion”, stresses foreign minister Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher
“The sheer scope makes you feel some kind of shock. There are some things that indicate that there is an anger directed at us”, denounces parish priest
“Christians continue to be the most persecuted religious community in the world”, with about 250 million suffering violence and discrimination, denounces Aid to the Church in Need
New justice’s ruling in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia could provide religious organisations with legal cover to discriminate against LGBTQ people… but there’s even more than that at stake
“The Church should take the path of service rather than that of confrontation”, insists Bishop of Valence Pierre-Yves Michel
In OSCE meeting, Vatican permanent representative laments “profound ramifications” of coronavirus lockdown measures on religious freedom
In a joint declaration, Islamic leaders decry instrumentalisation of religion “for political, diplomatic or commercial ends”, criticise “unjustified” Muslim calls to boycott French products
The terrorist attacks in France aren’t just about “religion” – they also involve a whole series of intricate historical, geopolitical and economic factors
Pope mourns aggression “that sowed death in a place of prayer and consolation”: “I pray for the victims, for their families and for the beloved French people, that they may respond to evil with good”
Conservative believers are increasingly turning their backs on the president, worried about his failures of leadership and his exploitation of Christianity
“Never before have we seen a more urgent need for religious communities to work with political leaders to address the unprecedented and interrelated challenges facing the world today”
“It’s very important to us to save our heritage and keep it safe for future generations”, says Chaldean prelate Najeeb Michaeel of Mosul
The Vatican has accused the US of trying to exploit the image of the Pope, and said it is “surprised” at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s attacks on its agreement with China.
Seemingly everyone has an opinion on masks: when to wear them, how to wear them, which ones are best and even whether we should be wearing them at all.
Recently the organization ‘Catholic Vote’ issued a statement in which they accused the Democratic Party of fueling a climate of hate against Catholics. And called on Biden “to stand up to the rising climate of anti-Catholicism across the country.”
At the Angelus Sunday, Pope Francis warned that “the Lord will hold us to account for all of the migrants who have fallen on their journey of Hope”, as “victims of the throwaway culture”.
Pope Francis pleaded with the world today to “stop using religions to incite hatred, violence, extremism and blind fanaticism”.
Following an unprecedented increase of violence against religious communities and people belonging to religious minorities, in 2019 the UN General Assembly proclaimed August 22 as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.
Turkey is showing disregard towards Christian cultural heritage and failing to fulfil its promise to maintain free access to Hagia Sophia, Nikolay Balashov, an archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church, told Sputnik on Friday, addressing Ankara’s latest decision to convert another former church into a mosque.
COVID-19 mask mandates do not violate the First Amendment’s protections for freedom of religion, speech, assembly and association.
During his Angelus address at midday today, Pope Francis pleaded for a world “completely free of nuclear weapons” and a commitment to make Lebanon – still reeling after last Tuesday’s blast in the port in Beirut – “free and strong”.
A German theologian has warned that the Church needs “radical change” to exit the “dead end” it is currently stuck in regarding vital reforms.
In 2018, Pope Francis announced a deal that cleared the way for the reappointment of clergy in China, something that the Vatican described as “a question of great importance for the life” of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has said he dreams of Hagia Sophia becoming a “centre for the encounter of religions”.
The Serbian Orthodox Patriarch has launched a last-minute appeal for joint Muslim-Christian worship in Hagia Sophia, in what would be, on his judgment, a sign of “historical symbiosis, tolerance and trust”.
COMECE, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, has labelled Turkey’s decision to reconvert the Istanbul monument of Hagia Sophia into a mosque “a blow to interreligious dialogue”, as CEC, the Conference of European Churches, has warned the move could “potentially create fertile ground for religious hatred and subsequent violence”.
On 10 July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, after a court ruled that the site’s secularisation was unlawful.