Catholic church
German Church to pay abuse victims up to €50,000
A study commissioned by the German Bishops' Conference and released in 2018 showed that 1,670 clergymen had committed some form of sexual attack against 3,677...
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Catholic churches across Rome shut due to virus
The churches will reopen when a broader Italian government crackdown on public gatherings expires on 3 April, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the papal vicar for Rome, said in a statement.
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Ex-pope Benedict seeks to end storm over controversial book
Publication of extracts from the book, 'The Depth of our Hearts', by French newspaper 'Le Figaro' on Sunday set off a storm within the Vatican, with some questioning why the 92-year-old Benedict would come out of retirement to co-author a book with ultra-conservative Cardinal Robert Sarah.
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Pope Francis kicks off Christmas celebrations with midnight Mass
The pontiff told crowds gathered at the Vatican for his Christmas Eve Mass: 'You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you.'
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Persecuted Catholics 'honoured' to glimpse Pope Francis in Thailand
Ko Sa is one of just a handful of Vietnamese Catholic refugees registered to attend the mass by Pope Francis, who arrives in Thailand on Wednesday carrying a message of peace and religious tolerance.
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Pope wants to visit South Sudan next year, urges unity govt
Francis spoke of the crisis in the world’s youngest country three days after its president and a former rebel leader agreed to delay forming a unity government for 100 days beyond the 12 November deadline, which itself was an extension of an original deadline last May.
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Pope accepts resignation of New York bishop after abuse claims
New York's Bishop John Jenik was suspended in 2018 pending a Church investigation into the alleged sexual assault in the 1980s.
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Pope Francis visits Mozambique seeking to strengthen peace accord
After a jubilant arrival in Mozambique at the start a three-nation African tour, Pope Francis on Thursday met with political and civil leaders to encourage them to consolidate a fragile peace accord. The pope's three-day visit to Mozambique comes a month after the government signed a historic peace treaty with the former rebel group Renamo, which is now the main opposition party.
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Catholic school priest bans 'Harry Potter' books on exorcist advice
Reverend Dan Reehil contacted exorcists in Rome and the US, who recommended removing the fantasy novels from St. Edward Catholic School's library in Tennessee.
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China ordains first bishop after Vatican deal
China's roughly 12 million Catholics have for decades been split between a government-run association, whose clergy were chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.
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Ex-Vatican treasurer Pell loses appeal on sex abuse convictions, remains in jail
Pell, the highest-ranking Catholic worldwide to be convicted of child sex offences, was sentenced in March to six years in jail after being found guilty on five charges of abusing the two boys at St Patrick’s Cathedral while he was Archbishop of Melbourne in the late 1990s.
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Vatican says laws cannot force priests to break seal of confession
In Australia, an inquiry into child abuse recommended that the country introduce a law forcing religious leaders to report child abuse, including priests told of it during confession.
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Former Vatican treasurer appeals against abuse convictions
George Pell was jailed for six years after he was found guilty on five charges of abusing two boys, 13, while he was archbishop of Melbourne over 20 years ago.
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Pope apologises to Roma for Catholic Church's 'discrimination'
Making up around 10% of Romania's 20 million people, many Roma are marginalised and live in poverty and have suffered centuries of discrimination and insults.
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Gunmen kill six during Catholic mass in Burkina Faso
The gunmen then set fire to the church, several shops and a small cafe before heading to the local health centre, which they looted, burning the chief nurse's vehicle.
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Film on Catholic priests using nuns as ‘sex slaves’ pulled
The big-budget media investigation, ‘Sex Slaves in the Catholic Church’, was broadcast in March and has been sold widely internationally since.
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Pope leads Good Friday procession highlighting modern-day slaves' plight
The event spotlighted sex slaves 'used' but 'condemned by a society which refuses to see this kind of exploitation'.
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Papal Good Friday service draws attention to world’s poor
The service is one of the few during the year where the pope does not give a sermon, leaving it to Father Raniero Cantalamessa, whose title is a preacher of the papal household.
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MAP: The Notre-Dame Cathedral fire
A fire broke out at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday. This maps locates the centuries-old cathedral in Paris.
