Global Church News

For the first time, we have the freedom to vote and hope for democracy in Myanmar, says Catholic leader

Nov 20, 2015

“Not only as a voter, but also as an observer, I am really surprised by how the Electoral Commission has organised the vote,” said Sawthuya Bosco, former president of the National Catholic Youth Commission.
Veto law on child conversions

Nov 20, 2015

The patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church has called upon Iraq’s president to veto a law that will force some Christian children to convert to Islam.
Middle East Christians may disappear within 10 years

Nov 20, 2015

Christians may disappear from the Middle East within 10 years as increasing numbers are being killed or forced to flee persecution, Catholic aid groups have warned.
If one parent converts to Islam, then children are Muslims

Nov 20, 2015

The Iraqi parliament has approved a new law that will require children in non-Muslim families to convert to Islam if one of their parents converts.
Layman sees Vatican finance reforms being model for dioceses worldwide

Nov 20, 2015

The financial reforms established by the Vatican’s new Council for the Economy drew on good management practices of dioceses in the United States and elsewhere and will serve as a model for dioceses throughout the world, according to a Maltese economist tapped by Pope Francis to modernize the Church’s obsolete financial structure.
Church mourns Archbishop Pujasumarta, the “social Bishop”

Nov 20, 2015

The Indonesian Church mourns the loss of Msgr Johannes Pujasumarta, Archbishop of Semarang and central figure of Catholicism in the country.
Asia’s “mega churches”, mixing business with religion

Nov 20, 2015

A 36 million dollar fraud was committed, unbeknown to the faithful. And a court has convicted six people, including the community’s founder, Pastor Kong Hee.
Stop ‘money politics’, promote democracy

Nov 20, 2015

The media in Indonesia have a vital role to play in curbing the influence of money in politics, ahead of key regional elections coming up in December, according to a media expert.
US cardinal says forces in Middle East are intent on eradicating Christians

Nov 20, 2015

When Cardinal Edwin O’Brien was named grandmaster of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre in 2011, he found himself embroiled in a war a world away from the jungles of Vietnam where he ministered to dying troops as a young priest.
Pope will not wear bulletproof vest during tour of Central African Republic

Nov 20, 2015

Pope Francis says he will not wear a bulletproof vest or use a shield on the Popemobile during his visit to the Central African Republic.