The Catholic Bishops’ Conference issues a statement calling for the development of a “Christian spirituality of ecology” which begins in personal and family life.

In the opening lines of his encyclical on the environment, Laudato sì, Pope Francis describes the earth as “burdened and laid waste, among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor”.

Urgency

In their statement, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales return to that encyclical as they highlight the urgency of the current environmental crisis. The earth, they write, “cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our own irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.”

The Bishops go on to outline the extent of the ecological crisis, and to suggest a Catholic response…

The Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAM) express their deep concern for destructive fires burning the world’s forests.

The “seriousness” of the fires currently raging in Alaska, Siberia, Greenland, the Canary Islands, and “in particular, the Amazon” is not only local, say the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean. It is “of planetary proportions”…

Rejecting violence, promoting interreligious harmony, caring for the environment and stamping out government corruption are expected to be high on the agenda September 4-10 when Pope Francis visits Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius.

“The pope’s very presence will be his principle message to the people of Mozambique,” said Father Giorgio Ferretti, an Italian missionary and pastor of the cathedral in Maputo, Mozambique…

While reiterating its respect for the Australian judicial system, as stated on 26 February after the first instance verdict was announced, the Holy See acknowledges the court’s decision to dismiss Cardinal Pell’s appeal.

As the proceedings continue to develop, the Holy See recalls that the Cardinal has always maintained his innocence throughout the judicial process and that it is his right to appeal to the High Court…

The 22nd of August has been officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. This was the result of a resolution passed on Tuesday, 28th May 2019 as tabled by Poland with the support of the United States, Canada, Brazil, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria and Pakistan…