Opinion

“Who is Jesus?” Some Christians aren’t happy with the answers they’ve gotten to the question from their smart speakers, including Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant on Google Home devices. David Sams, the CEO of KeepTheFaith Radio Networks — who describes himself on his website as a “21st century media ... read more

WARSAW, Poland — Young people in Europe need political support to start families in countries with aging populations, a French Catholic campaigner said. While “young people want to form lasting relationships and have children,” they “don’t feel safe” to start families, said Antoine Renard, president of the Brussels-based Federation of ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — One of Roma Downey’s life lessons came from her mother’s cabinet full of broken china. The well-known actress and producer of three popular biblical movies recounts an experience growing up in strife-torn Northern Ireland. A British armored car rolled up her street, and the vibrations caused the ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — War, famine and gang violence have created the largest global refugee population since World War II, yet the U.S. has drastically cut the numbers of refugees it will accept, causing the reduction and closure of Catholic resettlement programs nationwide. Nearly 20 U.S. Catholic refugee resettlement programs have ... read more

ROME – As the date for their upcoming meeting with Pope Francis approaches, several of the 32 Chilean bishops who will be in Rome to meet the pontiff May 14-17 are speaking up, some ready to resign, and others ready to demand the resignation of a bishop accused of covering ... read more

ROME — In light of the old mantra that people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, there’s a semi-ironic sense in which Church communication professionals from around the world might want to think about coming to Rome to learn how to improve their job performance. After all, in nearly one ... read more

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Catholic Bishops in Cameroon are calling on President Paul Biya to begin a dialogue to find a sustainable solution to the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon. Since 2016, English speakers in the Central African country have been protesting against what they say is gross marginalization by the Francophone-dominated ... read more

WARSAW, Poland — Germany’s Catholic Church said it would review its employment system after top European judges warned it could violate anti-discrimination laws by requiring staffers to be religious. On April 17, the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice ruled that demands for Church employees to have a “religious affiliation” should ... read more

SEOUL, South Korea — Bishop Peter Lee Ki-heon of Uijeongbu has been waiting years for this moment, with the leaders of the two divided Koreas poised to meet for a historic summit just inside South Korean territory April 27. Ucanews.com reported Lee, president of the Korean bishops’ Committee for the ... read more

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Britain’s Supreme Court has approved a hospital plan for the withdrawing of life support for Alfie Evans, the 23-month-old child whose parents have been fighting a legal battle to keep him alive. Thomas Evans, the boy’s father, met with Pope Francis on Wednesday, and pleaded with ... read more

ROME — It’s an incident that has caused controversy for 160 years: A 6-year-old Jewish boy taken from his family by papal police and brought to Rome to be raised Catholic after Church authorities learned his housekeeper had secretly had him baptized. Now the case has reared its head again, ... read more

MEXICO CITY — A Mexico priest has been stabbed to death in his parish, the latest attack on clergy in the heavily Catholic country. Father Ruben Alcantara Diaz, 50, was attacked April 18, just prior to the 6:30 p.m. Mass at Our Lady of Carmen Parish in Cuautitlan Izcalli, the ... read more

ROME – World Youth Day, a massive gathering of young people from around the world that’s become something like the Woodstock of the Catholic Church, was founded in 1985 for young people. Spokespersons say the January 2019 edition in Panama, however, also will be organized by young people themselves. Among ... read more

ROME – “Money, money, money” was the motto repeated by religious sisters at a conference in Rome. No, they weren’t quoting the 1976 hit song by ABBA, but pointing to the main cause of human trafficking, one of the most profitable businesses in the world. “I discovered in my research ... read more

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – An immigration scandal involving people who came to Britain from the country’s colonies after World War II highlights the problems faced by other immigrants to the country, especially asylum seekers, according to the leading Catholic refugee agency. The Jesuit Refugee Service said the “Windrush” controversy is ... read more