The Catholic bishops of the Philippines have condemned the murder of a young Catholic priest in the north of the country. 

Fr Mark Ventura was shot dead after he celebrated Mass at a gymnasium in Barangay Peña Weste, on the outskirts of Gattaran town in Cagayan province.

Philippine bishops’ condemnation
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)  condemned the killing of the 37-year old priest, offering prayers for him, for his bereaved family and the lay faithful of Tuguegarao Archdiocese to which he belonged…

‘We have something that is better for everybody’: Charlie Gard’s parents outside the Royal Courts of Justice last year

The controversy over Alfie Evans, a 23-month-old boy whose parents have been forbidden from taking him abroad for treatment, has provoked a debate over the law in such cases.

Now the parents of the late Charlie Gard, who died aged eleven months after a similar legal dispute, have launched a campaign to change the law…

A blood-spattered poster of Jesus Christ is seen inside the the Coptic Christian Saints Church in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. Photo: CNS

A US report has warned of declining religious freedom worldwide. The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) published its annual report on April 25 and claimed worsening religious freedom across the globe…

Ailing toddler Alfie Evans, whose plight has tugged at the world’s heartstrings throughout the past week, died in the early hours of Saturday morning after being removed from life support.

In an April 28 Facebook post, Alfie’s father, Tom Evans, said: “My gladiator lay down his shield and gained his wings at 02:30…absolutely heartbroken. I love you my guy.”

Just shy of two years old, Alfie had been in what physicians described as a “semi-vegetative state” due to a mysterious degenerative neurological condition that doctors at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, England have not been able to properly diagnose…

The Council of Cardinal Advisors assembled with Pope Francis in Rome on Wednesday for the third and last day of their 24th session.

Apostolic Constitution

A large part of their work has been dedicated to the draft of a new Apostolic Constitution of the Roman Curia, which will be submitted to the Holy Father for his final approval. The topics making up the new Constitution include the Curia’s service to the Holy Father and the local Churches, the pastoral character of their activities, the establishing and tasks of a Third Section of the Secretariat of State, and the proclamation of the Gospel and the missionary spirit as guiding principles for the entire Curia’s activities…

“Next weekend, the Holy Father will receive at the Casa Santa Marta three victims of abuse committed by the clergy in Chile: respectively Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Jose Andrés Murillo.

The Pope thanks them for accepting his invitation: during these days of personal and fraternal encounter, he wishes to ask their forgiveness, share their pain and his shame for what they have suffered and, above all, listen to their suggestions so as to avoid a repetition of these reprehensible facts…