Crux Now

Archbishop wants cathedral in Chad to symbolize the country's new peace

The Archdiocese of N'Djamena, Chad, is seeking thirteen million dollars to reconstruct their cathedral, which was damaged nearly 40 years ago during the country's civil war. The archbishop first made the appeal at the end of June, when he went to the Vatican to receive his pallium on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Being an American Christian after Charlottesville

For those of us who exist in the realms of privilege because of our race, gender, material wealth, or education, the only Christian response to Charlottesville and Ferguson is solidarity with our brothers and sisters who suffer, even to the point of putting our very selves physically on the front lines in the spirit of the one whom we follow.

Verdict on first religious freedom report under Trump: Great rhetoric, what do we do?

Given that President Donald Trump repeatedly has vowed to make defending religious freedom a key element of U.S. foreign policy, release of the first State Department International Religious Freedom Report on his watch was keenly anticipated. Overall, observers say there's good stuff in it, but it still leaves the basic question unanswered: Having named the problem, what are we going to do about it?

Controversy surrounds abortions for Downs syndrome in Iceland
- Mary Rezac
- August 16, 2017
Every pregnant woman in Iceland is given an option of a prenatal test that can detect Down syndrome with 85 percent accuracy. “Nearly 100 percent” of pregnancies that tested positive for Down syndrome were aborted.
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Vatican envoy: Vietnam's government must respect religious freedom
- Catholic News Service
- August 16, 2017
Earlier this year, the Vietnamese bishops criticized the new Law on Belief and Religion, which will take effect January 1. They said abstract phrases in the law “are easily abused to shift responsibility onto and condemn religious organizations when the government is dissatisfied.”
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Nigerian bishops urge clergy, laity to accept bishop's appointment
- Peter Ajayi Dada
- August 16, 2017
Father Kingsley Anyanwu, editor of The Guide, the Ahiara diocesan newspaper, says he “cannot say that everybody, that is including the priests, religious and laity, have heeded the appeal from the provincial bishops to accept Bishop Okpaleke as their bishop and prepare for his installation.” Pope Francis has ordered the priests to accept their bishop, or face suspension from office.
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Nazism and extreme nationalism 'must be opposed in word and deed,' says papal advisor
- Claire Giangravè
- August 16, 2017
“Our country is once again in a moment when the civic and biblical heritage is being attacked and tested,” papal advisor Cardinal Sean O’Malley said in a statement following the violence in Charlottesville. “We need to reassert and reaffirm the belief that one nation is meant to include all: the multiple races, cultures, ethnicities and religions which make up our country.”
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Pope “deeply saddened” by flooding devastation in Sierra Leone
- Claire Giangravè
- August 16, 2017
“His Holiness Pope Francis assures those who have lost loved ones of his closeness at this difficult time. He prays for all who have died, and upon their grieving families and friends he invokes the divine blessings of strength and consolation,” reads a letter from Pope Francis to the Archbishop in Sierra Leone, where floods and mudslides caused hundreds of deaths.
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Russian Orthodox Church will discuss Ukraine during Vatican diplomat's visit
- Crux Staff
- August 16, 2017
A leading official of the Russian Orthodox Church says he “values” the Vatican’s position on Ukraine, which he said “precludes the use of the Holy See for speculations aimed at further escalating the Ukrainian crisis and moving the country’s conflict into a purely religious domain.”
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Papal envoy calls Blessed Romero 'martyr of hope'
- Catholic News Service
- August 16, 2017
Chilean Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, Pope Francis’s envoy to the celebration of the centennial of Blessed Oscar Romero’s birth, arrived August 12 in San Salvador to take part in different activities to mark the anniversary.
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Conference offers a journey of hope to divorced Catholics
- Catholic News Service
- August 16, 2017
Journey of Hope Conference for Divorced Recovery conferences are held all over the country and provide the setting for people to experience hope, healing and mercy with others who are going through the same journey.
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Gregory on Charlottesville: Bishops must speak, because silence is approval

August 15, 2017

Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, the highest-ranking African-American prelate in America, said on Monday that all bishops in the country, including those who lead dioceses without tremendous racial diversity, have to speak out in the wake of Charlottesville — because, he warned, silence will be seen as approval.

Former Belgian PM challenges Pope Francis on euthanasia ban for religious hospitals

August 14, 2017

Herman Van Rompuy, who has formerly served as the President of the European Council and Prime Minister of Belgium, has tweeted a message implying Pope Francis cannot tell a Belgian religious order to stop performing euthanasia at its medical clinics. Van Rompuy serves on the board of the Brothers of Charity Group.