Number of adult baptisms in Belgium skyrockets

Adult baptisms in Belgium significantly rise, Polish commission reveals sex abuse in its diocese, and Ireland’s leading Catholic newspaper is threatened — all in this week’s world news roundup.

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news you might have missed this week:

Number of adult baptisms in Belgium skyrockets

The Catholic Church in Belgium is seeing an unprecedented number of adult baptisms, according to a Feb. 19 report from CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News.

This year, 689 people have signed up to be baptized at Easter, an increase of almost 30% compared with the previous year, CNA Deutsch reported.

The Belgian bishops’ conference noted in its announcement of the latest figures that in 2016, the number of adult baptisms was 229. “In 2026, we are thus experiencing a tripling compared to 10 years ago, which confirms the growth we have also observed in recent years,” the bishops said.

Church commission finds 50 cases of child sex abuse across Polish diocese

A Polish Church commission has discovered at least 50 cases of children who were abused and 29 people suspected of abusing minors in the diocese, according to a local Feb. 15 report.

The commission set up by the Diocese of Sosnowiec in southern Poland found 29 perpetrators of minor abuse, 23 of whom were diocesan clergy while two were from outside of the diocese. The remaining four accused of minor abuse were a youth leader, a catechist, a seminarian, and an organ player.

The commission cited repeated instances in its report of bishops failing to take action despite credible reports of abuse being presented to them. “The trivialization of this problem and the inappropriate assessment of events led to the fact that those reporting crimes were not believed,” the commission’s chairman, Tomasz Krzyżak, said in his presentation of the findings on Feb. 12. He further noted that 96% of the victims were under the age of 15.

Historic Catholic newspaper in Ireland faced with shutdown threat from postal service

Ireland’s national postal service has refused to provide paid-for postal collection services to the Irish Catholic, the country’s leading Catholic news source.

An Post, Ireland’s state-owned provider of postal service, told the 138-year-old publication that it could not pick up or deliver mail from the Irish Catholic’s new address in Dublin 2, the city’s south side district that includes Trinity College Dublin.

“Unfortunately, all our collection services in Dublin 2 are at capacity and we are unable to take on any additional services to what is in place,” the postal service said, according to the paper.

The Irish Catholic Managing Editor Garry O’Sullivan reacted to the news by saying: “Just to be told by An Post that our newspaper, which has existed since 1888, cannot be collected in Dublin 2 where we moved recently, despite us having paid for postal collection for the year is shocking.”

The Irish Catholic said it is now seeking a solution to continue collection and delivery of its paper.

New church opens in Myanmar after conflict destroyed houses of worship

A new church officially opened in Myanmar’s northwestern Chin state, where several churches were targeted or destroyed by the Burmese army during violent attacks, according to a report from Agenzia Fides on Tuesday.

The Feb. 12 dedication of St. Joseph Catholic Church in the Diocese of Hakha signified a moment of hope and rebirth, the report said. The bishop of Hakha, Lucius Hre Kung, presided over the ceremony, stating: “This is the culmination of a long process that last years — a time of reflection, planning, fundraising, and construction by parishioners. Especially now, in this time of difficulty and suffering, it is a true sign of God’s love, a shining sign of faith.”

Chin state has been liberated from the reining military junta and is under control of armed resistance groups. It is the only Christian-majority Burmese state, according to Fides.

‘Come and see’: A Chaldean monastic order rethinks how to use media

The Chaldean Antonian Order of St. Hormizd is asking a question many religious communities now face: Can media presence help young people rediscover monastic life, or does it take something more personal?

Speaking to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, the order’s superior general, Abbot Samer Sourisho, said many Catholics know the order as a historic institution but rarely encounter it as a living, active spiritual reality today. That gap, he argued, is widened by geography. The order has built an official online presence but avoids a marketing-style approach, preferring to communicate meaning rather than “sell” activities.

Sourisho said the community hopes to work with specialized Catholic media professionals who can speak to young people’s questions in the language of the moment without flattening the spiritual depth of the call.

Today, he said, the order is inviting young men not only to scroll and read but also to step inside, to pray, to sit in silence, and to receive personal spiritual accompaniment. The message to those discerning is simple and biblical: “Come and see.”

Church in Thailand celebrates Lunar New Year through lens of Christian faith

Catholics in Thailand are finding ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year that are consistent with Church teachings, according to local reports.

“In Thailand, in parishes with large Chinese-speaking communities, the Lunar New Year is an opportunity to deepen family bonds and pray for the year ahead,” Father Peter Piyachart Makornkharnp, pastor at Holy Rosary Church in Bangkok, told LiCAS News on Sunday.

Alongside Chinese-speaking parishes across Thailand, Holy Rosary celebrates a special Thanksgiving Mass on Chinese Lunar New Year every year. The priest praised the integration of cultural customs among Catholics and emphasized that other rituals and superstitions associated with the holiday are forbidden for Catholics.

Catholics return to church in northern Nigeria after years of Boko Haram insurgency

Catholics in northern Nigeria are returning to church by the “thousands” following 15 years of Boko Haram insurgency, the leadership of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri said, acknowledging the growing vibrancy of the Church in the West African country.

Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme said parishioners who fled while terrorists wreaked havoc are returning in massive numbers, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported Thursday, citing an interview with Aid to the Church in Need in which Doeme said: “The faith of our people is unshakable. The number of Catholics we have in our diocese now is more than the number of Catholics we had before the Boko Haram crisis.”

Read original article