Pope Francis on Wednesday urged more nations to join a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons, saying their prohibition is badly needed to promote peace today. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons goes into effect on Friday and has been signed by 86 states, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, which… Read More Pope Francis urges more nations to join UN nuclear treaty
Both Pope Francis and ex Pope Benedict have received the first dose of a vaccine against coronavirus, the Vatican said on Thursday. The 84-year-old pope and the 93-year-old former pope, got their jabs as part of a Vatican vaccination program that began on Wednesday. Both men are vulnerable to contracting the virus because of their… Read More Pope Francis and his predecessor Pope Benedict receive coronavirus vaccine
A South Korean court acquitted on Wednesday the leader of a Christian sect charged with obstructing efforts to stamp out one of the world’s first big surges of novel coronavirus infections, the Yonhap news agency said. Lee Man-hee, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded and heads the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, had been accused of violating… Read More South Korean court acquits church leader Lee Man-hee on charge of obstructing virus efforts
Pope Francis, in another step towards greater equality for women in the Roman Catholic Church, on Monday changed its law to formally allow them to serve as readers at liturgies, altar servers and distributors of communion. In a decree, the pope formalised what already has been happening in many developed countries for years. But by… Read More Pope Francis issues new decree formally allowing more roles for women in Church
Pope Francis urged Americans on Sunday to shun violence, seek reconciliation and protect democratic values, following the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol building by supporters of President Donald Trump that left five people dead. “I repeat that violence is self-destructive, always. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost,” the pope said… Read More Pope Francis urges U.S. to shun violence and protect democracy following Capitol attack
The Vatican and the Australian Catholic Church have both denied knowledge of transfers worth US$1.8 billion which Australia’s financial watchdog says have been sent from Rome to Australia in the past seven years. “That amount of money and that number of transfers did not leave the Vatican City,” a senior Vatican official with knowledge of… Read More Vatican denies knowledge of transfers worth $1.8billion to Australia
A mob in northwestern Pakistan attacked and set ablaze a century-old Hindu temple on Wednesday, officials said, prompting condemnations from the Muslim-majority country’s Hindu community. Hindus are the largest non-Muslim majority in the country, which gained independence from British rule in 1947, when the subcontinent was partitioned into Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. Videos made… Read More Mob attacks and burns Hindu temple in northwestern Pakistan
An Indian state ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party on Wednesday passed a law abolishing state-run Islamic schools, saying they provided sub-standard education. Opposition politicians criticised the move and said it reflected the government’s anti-Muslim attitude in the Hindu-majority country. More than 700 of the government-funded religious schools, known as madrasas, in… Read More Indian state passes law abolishing Islamic schools
