ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE: In his latest in-flight news conference, Pope Francis said March 8 he’s not afraid to be called a ‘heretic’ for engaging in dialogue with Muslims; that he felt “imprisoned” during Covid-19 lockdowns; he was “shocked” by the destruction he witnessed in the Iraqi city of MarchContinue Reading
A Malaysian court ruled on March 10 that non-Muslims can use the word “Allah” to refer to God, in a major decision in a divisive issue for religious freedom in the Muslim-majority country. The High Court decision squashed a 35-year-old government ban on the usage of Allah and three otherContinue Reading
Yangon: Catholic priests and religious in Myanmar are continuing to accompany demonstrators and appeal to the military not to use force. “We ask not to kill. This is why we have turned to the military. We fear that police officers will kill more young demonstrators. Our presence as people ofContinue Reading
By Gerald Imray Cape Town: In countries with historic ties to Britain, allegations by Prince Harry and Meghan that an unnamed member of the royal family had “concerns” over how dark their unborn baby’s skin might be have raised a thorny question: Do those nations really want to be soContinue Reading
Myitkyina: A Catholic nun in Myanmar has braved the military a second time in ten days to save people of the strife-torn South Asian nation. The image of Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng in a simple white habit, her hands spread, pleading with the forces as they prepared to crackContinue Reading
Onboard Papal plane: Speaking to journalists on the flight to Rome, Pope Francis retraces the stages of his historic visit to Iraq: the meeting with “the wise and man of God” Al Sistani, his feelings before the destroyed churches in Mosul, his emotion at the words of the Christian motherContinue Reading
Mosul: Pope Francis has urged Iraq’s Christians to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community’s historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State group’s horrific reign. “Fraternity is moreContinue Reading
Colombo: Catholics in Sri Lanka on March 7 attended Mass dressed in black, with prayers and protests calling for justice for those killed in co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday two years ago. Church bells tolled and prayers were chanted at 8:45am, the time when bombs were detonated almostContinue Reading
Mosul: Pope Francis visited the ruins of Mosul and a Christian community damaged by the Islamic State d on March 7, the third day of his historic visit to Iraq. The day earlier, the pontiff visited the birthplace of Abraham, met with a prominent Shia cleric and gave a sermonContinue Reading
Baghdad: Pope Francis on March 5 arrived in Iraq to urge the country’s dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns to make his first-ever papal visit. The pope, who wore aContinue Reading