The Iona Institute has found the number of Catholic baptisms in Ireland declined by 29.6% from 2015 to 2025.
According to an Aug. 18 press release, the “two big drivers of the decline are falling births and rising secularism,” with birth rates accounting for about 60% of the decline. “In a way the figures are not a surprise given the rapidly falling number of births and growing secularization. Given that births have fallen by almost a fifth in the last ten years, and more people are ticking the ‘No Religion’ box in the Census, we could expect nothing but a big drop in baptism figures,” Tom Finegan, chairman of The Iona Institute, said in the release.
“It remains to be seen whether cultural Catholicism will remain a force in Irish life. It’s worth noting that in Britain in 2023, according to the Vatican yearbook, over 42,000 Catholic children were baptized, even though levels of Mass-attendance in Britain are low.”
German bishop resigns, citing ‘recurrent depressive disorder’
Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann of the German Diocese of Speyer resigned early at age 66 over ongoing mental health struggles he developed in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis in his diocese.
“I have been a Christian and a bishop for you with all my heart and great inner joy,” Wiesemann explained in a letter to the faithful on Aug. 19, reported CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News. “Nevertheless, the burden of extensive responsibility has left serious traces in me physically, as well as mentally.”
Wiesemann said in the letter that he had to go to a psychosomatic clinic due to a “recurrent depressive disorder” and that the “processing of sexual abuse in our diocese” was the “immediate trigger.” Pope Leo XIV has accepted his resignation.
Asian churches rally together after earthquake in Indonesia
The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) is calling on local churches to provide support for humanitarian relief efforts after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Indonesia, Licas News reported Aug. 18.
“We call on CCA member churches, national councils, and ecumenical partners to uphold the affected communities in prayer and to accompany them with timely relief, compassionate presence, and support for recovery and rebuilding. As the immediate emergency response continues, let us stand alongside the people and churches of Indonesia in solidarity,” Christian Conference of Asia General Secretary Rev. Jung Eun Grace Moon said. The earthquake is estimated to have killed at least 53 people, according to the report.
New push to build New Zealand cathedral yields over $1 million
After a new call to Catholics in Christchurch, New Zealand, over $1 million was raised in just three weeks for the building of a new cathedral, with the bishop himself pledging $16,000 over five years.
According to The Press, priests within the Diocese of Christchurch have pledged $50 a week, totaling $400,000, which was matched by an out-of-country donor.
“We’ve got to lead the way because people look to us to show that
we’re committed,” Bishop Michael Gielen, who leads the diocese, said.
The project reportedly already has nearly $65 million from “insurance proceeds, assetsales, financial gifts, pledges and regular donations.” Once the total reaches $72 million the diocese will be able to start construction, and Gielen said he hopes that will happen by the end of 2027.
There are more than 60,000 Catholics in the Christchurch Diocese, though only about 11,000 are believed to attend Mass regularly.
Finnish parliamentarian blocked from entering UK
Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen has been barred from entering the United Kingdom for a religious freedom conference where she was scheduled to give a talk about free speech.
Räsänen’s Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) has been revoked, according to an Aug. 18 press release from her legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International. She will now speak at the event virtually.
“It is shocking that the U.K. has blocked me, a democratically elected politician in an allied European state, from entering the country,” Räsänen said. “Even though this unjust conviction is currently on appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, the U.K. has likely refused me travel authorization on this basis. In doing so, the U.K. is punishing me for exercising my fundamental human rights.”
Chaldean sisters open jubilee year honoring martyred sister
The Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus have opened a jubilee year marking the approaching 25th anniversary of the martyrdom of Servant of God Sister Cecilia Moshi Hanna, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 19.
Chaldean Patriarch Paul III Nona celebrated the opening Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baghdad. Mother Samar Kamil, the congregation’s superior general, said the year will include devotional programs, spiritual retreats, and opportunities for prayer and reflection. The congregation’s convents will welcome groups of faithful, with particular attention given to the shrine at the Convent of Charity in Baghdad, where Sister Cecilia was killed. The observance, she explained, is intended not only to honor the martyred sister but also to help Christians consider how they are called to bear witness to their faith in daily life.
Sister Cecilia was murdered on Aug. 16, 2002, at the age of 71. The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints recognized her as a servant of God in 2018, formally beginning an important stage in her cause for canonization.
Italian parish mourns death of priest by suicide
Members of San Carlo Borromeo Parish in Trento, Italy, gathered for the funeral of parish priest Father Don Lino Zatelli on Aug. 15.
The service, presided over by Archbishop Lauro Tisi, came after Zatelli was found dead on Aug. 12 by the parish sacristan after he did not appear at the parish to celebrate Mass that morning, according to an Aug. 18 Tribune Chrétienne report. Zatelli had reportedly discovered in the past few weeks that he was to be reassigned to another parish as a part of a pastoral reorganization.
“All this good that he has sown with his humanity, his gestures and his word is a reason for thanks to God for everything that Don Lino has given us,” Tisi said in his homily, according to the diocese.
Nigerian priest calls for prayers as 2 killed, 1 abducted in bandit attack
A Catholic priest in Nigeria has appealed for prayers following a bandit attack that left two people dead and another abducted in the Catholic Diocese of Zaria, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported Aug. 18.
In a statement shared on Aug. 18, Father Samuel Ameh shared news of the deadly attack, calling for prayers for those who lost their lives, the abducted community elder, and families affected by the tragedy.
“We ask for prayers for the souls of the departed, for the safe return of the kidnapped, and for strength for all the families affected by this tragic incident,” Ameh said, noting the bandits abducted a respected community elder, killed his son on the spot, and confirmed that another person who was injured during the attack later died while receiving medical treatment.
Marian festival brings Syrians together in Armenian town
The “Green Kessab” festival concluded in Syria’s Latakia countryside with religious ceremonies, music, food, and traditions honoring the Virgin Mary, ACI MENA reported Aug. 17.
Organized by the Armenian Apostolic Church in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and the Kessab municipal council, the two-day celebration drew residents and visitors from different religious and cultural backgrounds.
Kessab’s Armenian presence stretches back centuries, according to local writer Karo Manjikian. For the Aug. 15 feast, farmers offer the first clusters of their grape harvest to the church, which blesses and distributes them among the people. Families also donate sheep whose meat is slowly cooked overnight with crushed wheat to prepare harissa, a traditional dish shared freely after Mass the following morning. Muslims as well as Christians take part in receiving the blessed grapes and meal.
War and emigration have reduced Kessab’s resident Christian population to about 1,000, although the number rises considerably during the summer when expatriates and other visitors return.
National Youth Day in Angola ends with call to young people to reject violence
The president of the Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe has called on young people to reject violence, hatred, and intolerance, urging the promotion of dialogue, respect for differences, and fraternity, ACI Africa reported Aug. 18.
“Only mutual love and respect build a strong nation,” Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba said in his homily on Aug. 16 during the closing Mass of the fourth National Youth Day at Our Lady of Fatima Parish of the Luanda Archdiocese.
“There should be no intolerance that excludes and rejects. There should be no fanaticism that blinds and destroys. There should also be no violence that frightens and dehumanizes,” he said.
More than 4,000 young people from the dioceses of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe participated in the four-day gathering, held from Aug. 13 to 16 under the theme “Young People, Take Courage. I Have Overcome the World.”