Author: Jemma

WelCom December 2021 Throughout 2021, the Royal Commission continued its investigation into State- and faith-based care in New Zealand between 1950–1999. Following evidence given at the Redress Hearing from survivors in late 2020 and witness statements from Cardinal John Dew and others earlier this year, a final report summarising the Royal Commission’s findings is expected […]

WelCom December 2021 The Vatican is calling on bishops across the world to involve Christian leaders from other churches in the synod process in a move that could turn it into the most significant ecumenical event of recent times. A joint letter from two Rome-based cardinals recommends leaders of Christian communities take part in the […]

WelCom December 2021 Pope Francis has urged political and economic leaders to show courage and long-range vision. His message came shortly after UN-led climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, last month, ended in compromise on how to combat global warming. Francis in remarks to the public in St Peter’s Square said the ‘cry of the poor, […]

WelCom December 2021 The Pope’s apostolic nuncio to the United States has told the US bishops ‘a divided church will never lead people to where it should be’. In a 30-minute address during the two-day US bishops’ general assembly, Archbishop Christophe Pierre spoke about synodality, abortion, racism and the Eucharist.  For the bishops, he said, […]

WelCom December 2021 According to recent statistics, Africa added more than 8 million Catholics in 2019, the largest area of growth in the world. In comparison, America added 5.3 million, Asia added 1.9 million and Oceania 118,000. Europe, on the other hand, saw a decrease of almost 300,000 Catholics. Kinga von Poschinger, who works at […]

WelCom December 2021 Leaders of Ireland’s Christian churches presented a united front during a ceremony marking 100 years of partition of Ireland. ‘For the past 100 years, partition has polarised people on this island. It has institutionalised difference, and it remains a symbol of political, cultural and religious division between our communities,’ said Catholic Archbishop […]

WelCom December 2021 India will have its first canonised layman in May next year. Nilakandan Pillai, born in 1712, took the name ‘Lazarus’ – Devasahayam in the local Tamil language – when he converted to Catholicism. ‘While preaching, he particularly insisted on the equality of all people, despite caste differences. This aroused the hatred of […]

WelCom December 2021 A new survey of US priests has found younger clergy tend to be more conservative than their elders on many issues. ‘We find strong empirical confirmation of the nearly ubiquitous perception that younger priests are more orthodox in their beliefs than older priests,’ the authors state in the abstract. ‘Additionally, we find […]