September, 2018
Francis praises Lithuanian spirit of welcoming migrants, practicing tolerance
September 26, 2018 · By Joshua J. McElwee for www.ncronline.org
VILNIUS, LITHUANIA — Pope Francis began his four-day visit to the three Baltic States by praising Lithuania’s history of accepting people of various backgrounds and ethnicities, calling on the country to “build bridges not walls and prefer mercy, not judgment.” In a speech to Lithuania’s political leaders shortly after arriving from Rome Sept. 22, the pontiff […]
Read More...Glimmer of hope for families of Philippine drug war dead
September 26, 2018 · By Inday Espina-Varona, Manila for www.ucanews.com
The conviction of a decorated Philippine army general for decade-old crimes has fueled hope among mothers of those killed in the government’s war on drugs that they will eventually see those responsible for the deaths of their loved ones pay for their crimes. Nanette Castillo, whose 32-year-old son was killed by anti-narcotics “vigilantes” in 2017, […]
Read More...Melbourne rugby player jailed in US for attempting to rape six-year-old boy
September 25, 2018 · By www.sbs.com.au
Michael Quinn, who was caught in a US hotel room attempting to pay $US260 to rape a six-year-old boy, stood at his sentencing in a downtown Los Angeles court with tears in his eyes and voice quivering. The tall, once strapping Melbourne Chargers rugby union forward and IVF geneticist was pale and gaunt after five […]
Read More...Philippine authorities search for missing in wake of typhoon
September 25, 2018 · By Jose Torres Jr., Manila for www.ucanews.com
At least 65 people were reported killed while 43 others remained missing in the wake of Typhoon Mangkhut that hit the northern part of the Philippines on Sept. 15. Most of the fatalities came from the northern Cordillera Administrative Region where the search for missing people trapped in an abandoned mine continued on Sept. 17. About 300 […]
Read More...Pope Defrocks Chilean Priest Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
September 25, 2018 ·
(CNN) — Pope Francis has expelled the Reverend Cristian Precht Bañados of Chile, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Santiago. This is the first formal resignation the Pope has decreed since every bishop in Chile offered to step down in May over the country’s sex abuse scandal. The Chilean bishops’ offer was thought to […]
Read More...Infamous Filipino general gets life for abducting students
September 25, 2018 · By Joe Torres, Manila for www.ucanews.com
Jovito ‘Butcher’ Palparan’s sentence ‘sends signal to other rights violators that retribution is coming’ A decorated Philippine army general was sentenced to a life in prison on Sept. 17 for the “kidnapping and illegal detention” of two university students who went missing in 2006. A regional trial court in a province north of Manila found […]
Read More...Typhoon Mangkhut: More than four million people at risk as storm approaches northern Philippines
September 25, 2018 · By Peter Stubley for www.independent.co.uk
More than four million people are at risk from super typhoon Mangkhut when it hits the northern Philippines, according to officials. A massive evacuation is under way as the storm, which is equivalent to a category five Atlantic hurricane, approaches at the start of the rice and corn harvesting season. Typhoon Mangkhut, known locally as Ompong, is travelling […]
Read More...Letter from Rome
September 24, 2018 · By Robert Mickens, Rome for www.ucanews.com
For nearly five years he never made it one of his major priorities, despite the fact that many of his admirers and unofficial spokespersons tried to claim the opposite. But now Pope Francis, who was slow to even pronounce the phrase “clergy sex abuse of minors,” has been forced to face head-on this worldwide phenomenon […]
Read More...Chile Church scandal: ‘How I escaped the priest who abused me for decades’
September 24, 2018 · By Linda Pressly for www.bbc.com
In Chile, more than 100 Catholic clergy are being investigated over alleged sex crimes and attempts to cover them up. It’s a scandal that haunts the reign of Pope Francis and has tipped the Chilean church into crisis. But it began decades ago with one man – Father Fernando Karadima, a parish priest in Santiago, […]
Read More...Philippine Catholic universities help displaced children
September 24, 2018 · By Mark Saludes, Manila for www.ucanews.com
Displaced tribal children from the southern Philippines have found sanctuary in two prestigious Catholic universities. The University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila and the University of San Jose Recoletos in Cebu have said they will ensure about 100 children displaced by anti-insurgency operations are provided with accommodation and an education. Dominican priest Pablo Tiong, vice rector of UST, […]
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