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In reforming the priesthood, Pope Francis insists on middle ground

Vatican Pope Francis and Cardinal Marc Ouellet

Vatican City RNS With broad strokes and a balancing act, Pope Francis weighed in on the polarising tensions in the Catholic Church concerning the future of the priesthood. While upholding priestly celibacy as “a gift”, the Pope distanced himself from the “perversion” of rigidity while speaking at a Vatican conference on Thursday. As Catholic bishops […]

Dutch apologise for violence in Indonesian War of Independence

Indonesia Bogor Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte

Amsterdam, The Netherlanda Reuters The Netherlands’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday offered a full apology to Indonesia after a historical review found the Dutch had used “excessive violence” in a vain attempt to regain control of their former colony after World War II. Rutte was addressing the study’s findings, which said the Dutch military […]

EU launches reset with Africa after pandemic disruption

Africa summit European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi

Brussels, Belgium Reuters   The EU welcomed more than 40 African leaders to Brussels on Thursday in an effort to reassert its influence on a continent where China and Russia have made hefty investment inroads, and where many felt let down by Europe’s COVID-19 vaccines rollout. The European Union will offer several packages of support […]

Somali doctors open war-scarred nation’s only public blood bank

Somalia blood bank1

Mogadishu, Somalia Reuters When Somalia’s biggest bomb blast killed more than 500 people in 2017, Dr Ahmed Abdikadir Mohamed watched helplessly as many of the injured bled to death.  Exactly one year later, in October 2018, Mohamed opened Benadir Blood Service, Somalia’s first public blood bank since 1991. Mohamed Abdi Hussein donates blood next to […]

Migrant minors dispute pits Florida against Catholic Church

US Archbishop of Miami Thomas Wenski

Miami, Florida, US AP The debate over whether to deter or accommodate minors arriving at the US-Mexico border without their parents has pitted Florida’s Catholic governor against the state’s highest-ranking Roman Catholic. The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, and other faith leaders have implored the governor to reconsider an order that suspends renewals of state […]

Forced displacements soared in Colombia in 2021, UN agency reports

Bogota, ColombiaReuters The forced displacement of communities soared in Colombia last year amid increased attacks against civilians by illegal armed groups and higher levels of violence, a UN agency said in a report on Wednesday. At least 73,974 people were displaced from their homes across the Andean country in 2021, more than double the previous […]