Author: Catholic News Agency
Nicaragua dictatorship announces ‘voluntary dissolution’ of university forming seminarians
May 22, 2023
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The Nicaraguan Ministry of the Interior (Migob) announced in official media the “voluntary dissolution” of the Immaculate Conception Catholic University of the Archdiocese of Managua (UCICAM), which functioned as a formation center for seminarians from the Nicaraguan capital. According to ministerial agreement 77-2023-OSFL, published May 18 in La Gaceta, the regime’s official newspaper, the minister…
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Spanish bishops: Abortion as a right makes the unborn child ‘a true undocumented person’
The Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE) criticized the May 9 ruling by the country’s constitutional court (TC) that upheld abortion as a right, thus, it said, making the human person developing in the womb “a true undocumented person.” The executive commission of the CEE said in a statement that it deplores that the TC affirmed “that…
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What it’s like for the Church in Venezuela, a country in social and economic crisis
Luis Vildoso, project manager for the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Venezuela, shared the current situation in the country and in the Catholic Church — and how the Church is maintaining itself in the midst of the social and economic crisis. The aid worker, who recently visited 11 jurisdictions in…
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Pope Francis adds Coptic Orthodox martyrs to liturgical book of saints
Pope Francis said May 11 that the Coptic Orthodox martyrs killed by ISIS in 2015 will be added to the Catholic Church’s official list of saints. He also received a relic of the martyrs’ blood as a gift.“I am glad to announce today that, with the consent of Your Holiness, these 21 martyrs will be…
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Vatican abuse commission now more ‘impact-focused,’ Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley says
May 13, 2023
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In his role as president of the Vatican’s child protection commission, Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley said the body’s recent actions “represent a major shift towards a more impact-focused direction.” At the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which took place from May 3–6, members adopted several new policies…
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Film about freedom activist Jimmy Lai surpasses 1 million YouTube views in under 2 weeks
May 12, 2023
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A new film about Hong Kong media mogul turned pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai has amassed more than 1 million views on YouTube and over 4 million views on TikTok in just two weeks. Interweaving historic footage, video of mass protests and arrests, and interviews with Lai and those who know him well, “The Hong Konger: Jimmy…
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Feds back off demand that Catholic hospital extinguish chapel candle
May 11, 2023
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Federal government regulators backed off their demands that a Catholic hospital extinguish its chapel candle after the Oklahoma hospital’s lawyers argued that their client’s religious freedom was being violated. The hospital was informed that it will receive a waiver, provided it posts signs warning about keeping oxygen equipment away from the tabernacle candle, which is…
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Young podcaster emulates media priest Father Mike Schmitz with ‘Kid’s Bible in a Year’
May 10, 2023
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When “The Bible in a Year” podcast hosted by Father Mike Schmitz shot to the top of the charts at the start of 2021, it inspired millions of people to dive more deeply into the Bible. One Michigan third grader was not content to merely listen, though — he wants to be a podcasting priest likeSchmitz when…
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In 5 years the Church in Nicaragua has suffered more than 500 attacks, 90 in 2023 alone
May 8, 2023
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Researcher and lawyer Martha Patricia Molina on May 3 presented the third installment of her report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church?” The document gives an account of the at least 529 attacks perpetrated by the Daniel Ortega dictatorship in the last five years with 90 committed so far in 2023.In her Zoom presentation made from exile,…
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Vatican’s new bishops’ prefect shares his ‘portrait of a bishop’
May 7, 2023
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A bishop should nurture closeness to Christ, share the beauty of the faith, use social media wisely, and have a universal vision, the new head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops shared this week. Archbishop Robert Francis Prevost, who took up his new role in April, spoke to Vatican News about what he considers to be the…
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