catholicsentinel.org

Priest appeals for more shelters for volcano evacuees in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — A Catholic priest has appealed for more and better shelters for victims of a volcanic eruption in the Philippines after criticizing a local government response.
1 of 4 kidnapped Nigerian seminarians released

KADUNA, Nigeria — A Nigerian seminarian who was abducted this month was freed by his kidnappers after 10 days in captivity. Three seminarians kidnapped with him remain in captivity.
Germany's assembly meant to rebuild church's credibility

FRANKFURT, Germany — Catholic leaders in Germany have compiled responses from lay Catholics in areas related to who holds power in the church, sexual morals, the role of priests and the place of women in church offices in preparation for an upcoming synodal assembly to debate church reforms.
Poor Clares' contemplative monastery in Tennessee quietly closes

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As Christmas approached and 2019 came to a close, the Monastery of St. Clare in Tennessee quietly closed.
Miami archbishop promotes refugee resettlement

MIAMI — The Archbishop of Miami has emphasized the importance of welcoming refugees and decried the decision of Texas Governor Greg Abbott not to participate in the federal refugee resettlement program.
Mom of twins says 'miracle' events led her to reject abortion, choose life

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn.— Alonna Mertz prayed in front of abortion clinics as a teenager in Michigan, driven by her well-formed, pro-life conviction.
President Trump issues new guidance on prayer in public schools

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced his administration's new guidance on prayer in public schools during a Jan. 16 event in the Oval Office on National Religious Freedom Day.
Founder of Protestant movement returns to Catholic Church

PUNALUR, India — The founder of a prominent non-denominational movement in India has returned to the Catholic faith of his baptism, after more than a decade as a Pentecostal pastor and traveling preacher.
With wall on three sides, Comboni Sisters in West Bank build bridges

BETHANY, West Bank — Their convent is surrounded on three sides by the Israeli separation wall, but the Comboni Sisters told visiting bishops they are trying to build bridges of peace rather than walls.
What does Benedict XVI actually say in new book on priestly celibacy?

VATICAN CITY — In his chapter in a new book on priestly celibacy, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says a historical understanding of the priesthood in the Old and New Testaments makes it clear that celibacy is an ontological, rather than optional, part of the Catholic priesthood.
St. Sebastian’s feast day: They pummeled men dressed as monsters with turnips

Every year on the feast of St. Sebastian, a young man from the Spanish village of Piornal dons a suit covered in colorful strips of cloth. He puts on a large, coned-shaped monster mask, and a head covering with long horns - along with plenty of protective gear underneath. Once dressed, the monster, called Jarramplas, parades through village streets to be pummeled with tons of turnips chucked with gusto by his fellow villagers.
French bishops' council OKs removing gender IDs on baptism certificates

OXFORD, England — The French bishops' permanent council has approved a recommendation to remove gender references for parents on baptismal certificates.
Architect calls for Notre-Dame's roof to be rebuilt of wood

PARIS, France — A leading architect in France has urged that the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris be reconstructed out of wood, for the sake of the building's structural integrity.
Not in Kansas any more?

WASHINGTON — Theodore McCarrick, the former cardinal who was laicized by the Vatican in 2019 after numerous claims of abuse by him were substantiated, moved Jan. 3 from the Capuchin Franciscan friary in Kansas where he had been living since late 2018.
Congressman: Pro-life Democrats get little support from pro-life groups

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), one of the last remaining pro-life Democrats in Congress, has questioned the commitment of some pro-life groups to bipartisanship in the movement to end abortion.
Flu factor: Dioceses take steps to prevent virus from spreading

WASHINGTON — The flu season is here and dioceses across the country are taking precautions to avoid spreading illness.
Archbishop Warda: US-Iran tensions threaten Iraq's Christian communities

ERBIL, Iraq — After Iran attacked an air base in Erbil early Wednesday, the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil said the current tensions between Iran and the U.S. threaten the fragile Christian communities in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains.
Archbishop calls for prayer, solidarity after Puerto Rico earthquakes

In the wake of a series of earthquakes that left at least one dead, multiple injured and some 300,000 without water in Puerto Rico, Archbishop Roberto Octavio González Nieves called for prayer and solidarity among his people.
WATCH: Prayer vigil pushes for peaceful solution in Iran crisis

WASHINGTON — The gathering outside the White House after dark Jan. 6 to protest U.S. aggression toward Iran was not nearly as big as a parade two days earlier protesting against the warlike moves. It certainly was not as loud.
China announces new crackdown on religious freedom

BEIJING — China will enforce new restrictions on religious groups, organizations, meetings, and other related events starting on Feb 1.
Iraqi cardinal: Innocents will 'be the fuel' for fire after drone strike

Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako, responding to a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad that killed Iran's top general, said "wisdom is required to avoid the 'volcanic eruption' we are about to face."
Cardinal: Peace comes from dialogue, accepting differences

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — As political tensions continue in Nicaragua, the archbishop of Managua stressed that for peace to be achieved, people need to look past their differences and foster dialogue without exclusion or manipulation.
WATCH: Wrestler's nearly fatal car crash rejuvenated his faith

Dan Beaudrie is a man of faith who beat the odds. Actually, he didn't just beat them, he crushed them.
Are targeted drone strikes allowed under 'just war theory'?

WASHINGTON — A U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian official on Jan. 3 has ignited discussion of the Catholic Church’s teaching on just war theory. One theologian talked to CNA about the morality of targeting military leaders.
Australian Catholics seek prayers as fires continue

As some of the worst wildfires in Australian history rage across four states, thousands of people in affected areas in New South Wales and Victoria continue to be evacuated to safety.
Archbishop: Iraqis have 'big anxiety' after drone kills Iranian general

AMMAN, Jordan — Iraqis fear their country, already weary from years of war, may be dragged into a conflict between the United States and Iran, following the U.S.-targeted killing in Baghdad of Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani.
Cardinal Mueller: Church crisis comes from abandoning God, adapting to culture

PHOENIX — The crisis facing the Catholic Church today has arisen from an attempt — even by some within the Church — to align with the culture and abandon the teachings of the faith, said Cardinal Gerhard Mueller Jan. 1.
Discerning in, discerning out

DENVER — Catholic journalists know that discernment stories are popular because they give readers hope. And they often follow a pattern: They usually include a “God moment” in which the subject, through a dramatic circumstance, hears the word of God and finds with sparkling clarity the call to become a cleric or religious. They end with ordination or follow final vows. Jacob Hubbard’s discernment story isn’t like that.
Texas bishops offer prayers for those affected by fatal church shooting

WASHINGTON — Two Texas Catholic bishops offered words of condolence and prayers to the members and families of the victims of a church shooting in which two worshippers were killed.
Cardinal Dolan: Antisemitic attacks ‘sickening’ and must be ‘condemned completely’

NEW YORK — On Dec. 29, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York condemned the recent spate of attacks against Jewish people in New York, following a stabbing that left five people injured during a Hanukkah celebration at a rabbi’s home on Saturday night.