Nigerian Archbishop: ‘No Dialogue with People Who Kill in God’s Name’
“Dialogue is impossible with people who kill and destroy in God’s name,” said Ignatius Kaigama the archbishop of Jos and President of the Nigerian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Faith
Pope Francis: No Place for Wimpy Christians
“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline,” said Pope Francis Monday, citing Saint Paul. The Pope went after spiritual wimpiness, saying that timidity and shame are the enemies of Christians.
Pro-Life Throngs Take to Paris Streets for Annual March for Life
Just three days after the March for Life in Washington commemorating the Supreme Court decision that paved the way for abortion on demand in the U.S., an estimated 45,000 French pro-lifers marched in Paris Sunday in protest of their government’s
Jindal Defends ‘Our God Wins’ Comment
Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” host George Stephanopoulos asked Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal about his prayer rally hosted by the American Family Association on the campus of Louisiana State University. Stephanopoulos asked Jindal, “I was struck by the final line,
Massive Abortion March in SF
A massive anti-abortion march that met at San Francisco’s Civic Center drew thousands of people, some from as far away as Texas, in the annual West Coast March for Life on Saturday. The organizers schedule the event annually to commemorate the Roe vs. Wade decision of Jan. 22, 1973, which made abortion legal.
Church in Orangevale Vandalized with Satanist Slogans, Swastikas
On Friday night, vandals spray-painted Satanist graffiti as well as swastikas on a church in Orangevale, roughly 25 miles northeast of Sacramento, California. The graffiti on the Calvary Chapel included “I love Satan” on the main sign of the church as well as “6-6-6,” swastikas, racial slurs and profanity painted on the rest of the building.
‘Devil Is Father of Divisions’ Among Christians, Says Pope
“It’s an ugly thing that we Christians are divided,” said Pope Francis Sunday. “Jesus wants us united in one single body,” he said. In his weekly Angelus message, the Pope spoke of the week of prayer for Christian unity, which
Jesuit Priest Thomas Reese Says ‘No Thanks’ to Whipping in Place of Raif Badawi
After Saudi Arabia sentenced blogger Raif Badawi to public flogging, seven of the nine members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stepped forward to ask the Saudis to commute his sentence or, if not, to whip them instead.
Bishop Silences German Priest for Speaking at PEGIDA Rally
The Bishop of Münster, Felix Genn, has banned Father Paul Spätling from preaching in a Catholic church after Spätling addressed a PEGIDA rally in Duisburg earlier this week. The Bishop said he “cannot and will not tolerate” such talk.
Pope Francis Praises Social Media
The media help communication, said Pope Francis, “when they enable people to share their stories, to stay in contact with distant friends, to thank others or to seek their forgiveness, and to open the door to new encounters.”
Pope Francis: Baby in Mother’s Womb Is ‘First Experience of Communication’
Our mother’s womb, said Pope Francis, “is the first ‘school’ of communication, a place of listening and physical contact where we begin to familiarize ourselves with the outside world within a protected environment, with the reassuring sound of the mother’s heartbeat.”
‘It’s God’s Job to Forgive,’ Says Pope
When God forgives, “he throws a party,” said Pope Francis this morning. “It’s God’s job to forgive,” he added, “and it’s a beautiful job.” The Pope has started celebrating his daily Masses at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta
Underground Chinese Bishop Applauds Vatican Overtures to Beijing
The relationship between the Catholic Church and China is “an open wound, which must be treated and cured,” says Joseph Wei Jingyi, the underground bishop of Qiqihar, in northeast China.
Radical Muslim Scholars Demand UN Impose Worldwide Ban on ‘Contempt of Religion’
Earlier this week, the Qatar-based international Union of Muslim Scholars– headed by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the spiritual guide of Egypt’s banned Muslim Brotherhood– called upon the United Nations to make “contempt of religions” illegal.
Nigerian Bishop Says It’s Time for Western Troops to ‘Crush Boko Haram’
In the face of Boko Haram’s virtually unopposed march through Nigeria, the bishop of Maiduguri has called for western military intervention as the only way to effectively stop the advance of the radical Islamist movement, which is now allied to the Islamic State.
Pope Francis Receives Diploma as Honorary ‘Sommelier’
On Wednesday, Pope Francis denied rumors that he is a teetotaler, drinking only mate tea, an herbal infusion typical of certain Latin American countries. “I’m not a teetotaler,” he said. “I drink a little wine from Italy and other countries from around the world. But just a little.” The Pope’s grandfather, in fact, was winemaker of Piedmontese origin.
Agnostic Historian to Produce Video Series Emphasizing Importance of Religion
In a move that would have delighted Andrew Breitbart, a prominent British historian is using the internet to overthrow mainstream media’s monopoly by producing his own 96-part documentary series on YouTube.
Italy: Immigrants Smash Statue of Virgin Mary and Urinate on It
Just days after the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, a band of five young immigrants desecrated a statue of the Virgin Mary at the parish of San Barnaba in the Italian city of Perugia, breaking it and urinating on it.
Obama Gives Pope Francis a Shout-Out in State of the Union Address
It is not unusual for U.S. presidents to reference the pope in their State of the Union addresses. President Obama’s decision to quote Pope Francis in Tuesday’s address follows on Lyndon Johnson’s citation of Pope Paul VI in 1968 and Bill Clinton’s reference to Pope John Paul II in 2000.
South African Cardinal Slams Obama’s State of the Union Address
South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier sent out a series of angry tweets after watching Tuesday’s State of the Union address, criticizing Obama’s secularism and exclusive focus on American interests.
Children Are Not the Cause of Poverty, Says Pope Francis
“Some people say that large families and the birth of so many children are among the causes of poverty,” said Pope Francis Wednesday, an opinion that he characterized as “simplistic.” The Pope pointed to economic systems that trample the human person as the true cause of poverty. “This is the main reason for poverty, not families,” he said.
Pope Francis Condemns ‘Brutality’ Against Christians in Niger
In a special appeal at the end of his weekly General Audience Wednesday in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis asked for prayers for the victims of the events of recent days in “beloved Niger.” The Pope also forcefully condemned “the brutality towards Christians, children and churches” perpetrated there in recent days.
Pope Francis: Good Catholics Need Not Breed ‘Like Rabbits’
While reasserting that Catholic couples should be open to life, Pope Francis also said they should practice “responsible parenthood,” not just having all the children they can.
The Prophet, Represented
Over half a century later, Muslim demands related to the visual representation of Mohammed have become familiar—and today, they are usually accompanied by threats of violence.
Pope Francis to Address Joint Session of Congress
During his trip to the United States next September, Pope Francis is planning to address a joint session of Congress as well as visit the White House, according to the Vatican’s permanent observer to the U.N. in New York. Francis aims to visit the White House on September 23 and will celebrate Mass at Washington’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception later that same day.
