Hubei, July 9, 2020: Heavy rains and landslides in China have left at least 14 people dead or missing over the past day, burying houses and causing scenic areas to temporarily shut. Six people have been unreachable since a landslide in southwestern Guizhou province hit three villages on July 8,Continue Reading
London, July 8, 2020: Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti as new Apostolic Nuncio for Great Britain. Archbishop Gugerotti has served as nuncio to Ukraine since 2015. He was previously the Pope’s representative to Georgia and Armenia, as well as to Azerbaijan, and later served as Nuncio to Belarus.Continue Reading
Rome, July 8, 2020: Benedict XVI watched his brother’s funeral via livestream on July 8 as his secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein read the pope emeritus’ message of remembrance at the Mass in Germany. “When I said goodbye to him in the morning on Monday, June 22, we knew it wouldContinue Reading
Addis Ababa, July 8, 2020: The death count from demonstrations and ethnic violence that erupted in Ethiopia in July first week following the murder of a popular singer from the Oromo ethnic group has risen to 239, according to police. Pop star Hachalu Hundessa, a hero to many Oromo whoContinue Reading
Seoul, July 6, 2020: Church-goers in South Korea, where religious services are typically characterized by large in-person gatherings, are growing increasingly dissatisfied with online worship, an inevitable reality at times given the government’s social distancing directives and the protracted coronavirus pandemic. According to a survey conducted by a publication operatedContinue Reading
Tokyo, July 5, 2020: Deep floodwaters and the risk of more mudslides that left at least 34 people confirmed or presumed dead hampered search and rescue operations July 5 in southern Japan, including at elderly home facilities where more than a dozen died and scores were still stranded. Helicopters andContinue Reading
Mosco, July 5, 2020: The Russian Orthodox Church on July 3 defrocked a coronavirus-denying monk who has defied Kremlin lockdown orders and taken control of a monastery. A church panel in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg ruled to defrock 65-year-old Father Sergiy, who has attracted nationwide attention by urgingContinue Reading
Rome, July 5, 2020: Pope Francis is praising U.N. Security Council efforts for worldwide cease-fires to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic. In remarks July 5 to the public in St. Peter’s Square, Francis hailed the Security Council’s “request for a global and immediate cease-fire, which would permit the peace andContinue Reading
Germany, July 4, 2020: The German bishops’ conference has announced that a record number of people are leaving the Catholic Church, with some 272,771 exiting the faith community during 2019. That number indicates a decrease of another 56,000 compared to the 216,000 who left in 2018. The previous record numberContinue Reading
Matters India Reporter Yangon, 4th July 2020 — A jade mine disaster in northern Myanmar killing some 200 and injuring another 100 poor migrant workers has made Myanmar’s cardinal mourn the human tragedy. In a letter addressed to Bishop Francis Daw Tang of Myitkyina and the faithful of his diocese,Continue Reading
