Mon 08 January 2024: Pope Francis called Monday for a global ban on surrogacy, calling the practice “deplorable.” “A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract. Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally,” he told ambassadors accredited to the […]
Continue Reading
Mon 01 January 2024: Pope Francis emphasized the importance of gratitude and hope at a solemn service on New Year’s Eve. The 87-year-old head of the Catholic Church led the service on Sunday and delivered the homily with the traditional hymn of praise “Te Deum” (Thee, O God) in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. […]
Continue Reading
Mon 25 December 2023: The ongoing conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel is playing out on screens like never before. Through social media, millions are witnessing the violence that has killed thousands since Oct. 7. People have turned to social media to learn about the history and politics of the region. And increasingly, many are using […]
Continue Reading
Mon 25 December 2023: Bethlehem, occupied West Bank — This year, Bethlehem is sombre and quiet. There is no Christmas tree and there are no holiday lights or tourists to see them. Instead, the city of Jesus’s birth – which is in the middle of a war zone – is marking Christmas with a powerful and poignant message: […]
Continue Reading
Sun 24 December 2023: Ukraine will formally mark Christmas Day on December 25 this year, in a symbolic shift away from Russia, which celebrates the holiday on January 7. It will be the first time in more than a century that Ukraine observes the date in line with the Gregorian calendar, along with most of […]
Continue Reading
Tue 19 December 2023: Under certain conditions, Pope Francis has approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, the official Vatican News agency reported on Monday. “With the Declaration “Fiducia supplicans” issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, approved by Pope Francis, it will be possible to bless same-sex couples but without any […]
Continue Reading
Sat 16 December 2023: New Delhi: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has issued a detailed statement and again called upon the Joe Biden administration to designate India a Country of Particular Concern, or CPC. It said it is “alarmed by India’s increased transnational targeting of religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf. Recent […]
Continue Reading
Thu 14 December 2023: Pope Francis, who has shunned much of the Vatican’s pomp and privilege, has decided to vastly simplify the elaborate funeral rites for a pontiff by being the first one to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century. The pope, who turns 87 on Sunday, disclosed plans for his […]
Continue Reading
Wed 13 December 2023: Germany’s major Protestant churches have agreed on binding standards for how to deal with allegations of sexual misconduct or violence. The standards will apply throughout the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), an umbrella organization of several mainstream Protestant denominations, and Diakonie Deutschland, a major social welfare organization affiliated with the EKD, […]
Continue Reading
Tue 12 December 2023: The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group on Monday approved a $2.12 billion financing for new projects that support socio-economic development and promote sustainability of member countries. Some 16 projects in sectors such as transport, energy, health, and education, besides youth development/entrepreneurship-employment, were approved during the board meeting, an IsDB Group statement […]
Continue Reading
