Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Sunday brought to a close the Catholic Church’s “Year of Mercy,” shutting the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s after a year in which he raised Mother Teresa to sainthood and took in Syrian Muslim refugees. The Argentine pontiff, who says …
Read More »Pope creates 17 cardinals, ‘Princes of the Church’
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis will create 17 new cardinals from across the globe Saturday in a time-honoured ceremony, elevating them to an elite body that advises and elects popes. Three of them are from the US, while others come from corners of the world where …
Read More »Shaolin kungfu seeks to strike a blow for Chinese soccer
Dengfeng, China | AFP | The young martial arts pupils cartwheeled across a pitch, before football coach Sun Dawei ordered one to deliver him a kung fu kick to the stomach. “You see I avoid the kick like this,” Sun said, dodging out of harm’s way before grabbing his young …
Read More »Archbishop Ntagali wins West Ankole Diocese court case
The High Court in Kampala on Tuesday ruled that the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Stanley Ntagali lawfully took over the episcopal jurisdiction of West Ankole Diocese. Justice Lydia Mugambe said that under Canon Law, Ntagali has powers to take over the seat of any vacant diocese until a new …
Read More »Voter turnout ‘explodes’ among Blacks, Hispanics in US
Miami, United States | AFP | Voter turnout among African American and Hispanic voters in the United States has surged in early voting, and this swell of minority participation could spell trouble for Donald Trump’s White House hopes. On Sunday — the last day of early voting before Election Day …
Read More »Apostolic Nuncio Kasujja leaves Nigeria for Belgium
VATICAN RADIO: The new Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium, Archbishop Augustine Kassujja, who hails from Uganda, is an experienced diplomat who has served the Holy See for many years. Born in 1946, Archbishop Kasujja is the first non-European Nuncio to Belgium. According to the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Archbishop Kasujja leaves …
Read More »Vatican to open its doors to 1,000 prisoners
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | One thousand prisoners — including some lifers — will take part in a special event at the Vatican this weekend, along with 3,000 family members, prison staff and volunteers. The prisoners from 12 countries will have the opportunity on Saturday to confess and …
Read More »Pope takes Christian unity bid to Protestant heartland
Rome, Italy | AFP | Pope Francis flies to Sweden Monday on the latest leg of his mission to promote reconciliation and unity within the wider Christian family. The Argentine pontiff is due in the southern city of Lund for an ecumenical service marking the start of a year of …
Read More »October 31, 1517: What is a Protestant?
Paris, France | AFP | Protestants form a branch of the Christian faith that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation 500 years ago. Pope Francis has nonetheless strengthened ties with several Protestant denominations, and his trip to Sweden to take part in events marking the anniversary …
Read More »‘Jesus’s tomb’ opened for first time in centuries
Jérusalem, Undefined | AFP | Preservation experts have opened for the first time in at least two centuries what Christians believe is Jesus’s tomb inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Some of the historic work was witnessed by AFP photographer Gali Tibbon who captured images of the …
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