January, 2019
How religious leaders ended Uganda’s civil war
January 11, 2019 · By David A. Hoekema for international.la-croix.com
The reign of terror imposed on the people of northern Uganda by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) from 1987 to 2006 was one of the most brutal of the past century. Joseph Kony’s militia abducted more than 60,000 children to serve as child soldiers and sexual partners. Villagers who tried to stop them were mutilated […]
Read More...Americans top list of sex offenders barred from Philippines
January 9, 2019 · By Evelyn Macairan (The Philippine Star) for www.philstar.com
MANILA, Philippines — Americans comprise most of the foreign registered sex offenders (RSOs) who were turned away upon arriving in the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said yesterday. Of the 145 RSOs barred from entering the country from January to November 2018, 119 or 82 percent were American, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said. Seven […]
Read More...Pope says recognize God’s fatherly love in prayer
January 9, 2019 · By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service for www.ucanews.com
Christians are not better than other people, but they know that God is their father and they are called “to reflect a ray of his goodness in this world thirsting for goodness, waiting for good news,” Pope Francis said during his first general audience of 2019. The pope continued a series of talks he has been giving […]
Read More...Filipino bishop tells Catholics to ignore Duterte tirades
January 9, 2019 · By Joe Torres, Manila for www.ucanews.com
A former head of the Philippines’ Catholic bishop’s conference, has called on people to ignore President Rodrigo Duterte’s repeated rants against the church. In his New Year message, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan said those who call God stupid and teach that it is useless to go to church are “anti-Christ.” “Do not listen to him who tells you […]
Read More...18 Chicago-area Jesuit priests named in new list alleging sexual abuse
January 9, 2019 · By Morgan Greene for www.chicagotribune.com
Eighteen Jesuit priests with ties to Chicago-area institutions were named on a list released Monday alleging instances of sexual abuse dating back more than six decades, including one defrocked priest who was convicted of sex crimes in federal court. The Midwest Province Jesuits, part of a Catholic religious order known for its focus on education, […]
Read More...More than 500 priests accused of sexual abuse not yet publicly identified by Catholic Church, Illinois attorney general finds
January 9, 2019 · By Elvia Malagon for www.chicagotribune.com
A scathing report from Attorney General Lisa Madigan finds the number of Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse against children in Illinois is much higher than previously acknowledged. The report said accusations have been leveled against 690 priests, while Catholic officials have publicly identified only 185 clergy with credible allegations against them. The determination is […]
Read More...‘My betrayer is at hand’
January 8, 2019 · By Father William Grimm, for www.ucanews.com
In Gethsemane, Jesus said, “My betrayer is at hand.” News of the Catholic Church these days reminds us that we live in a world in which betrayers are always at hand. Clergy and religious have betrayed children and adults, abusing those entrusted to their care. Bishops and superiors have betrayed us all by protecting those […]
Read More...Trauma continues to follow Marawi’s captured priest
January 8, 2019 · By Jose Torres Jr. and Merlyn Manos, Marawi City for www.ucanews.com/
A year after his abduction by terrorist gunmen, Catholic priest Teresito Soganub, who used to be the vicar-general of the Prelature of Marawi, is on a journey for forgiveness. The priest admitted that during his four-month ordeal in the hands of the Islamic State-inspired terrorists he embraced Islam and collected ammunition for them. “I was […]
Read More...Boy’s ‘extraordinary courage’ helps unmask man of cloth in sexual abuse case
January 8, 2019 · By Danny Petilla - @inquirerdotnet for newsinfo.inquirer.net
NAVAL, BILIRAN—After years of being sexually abused by an American Roman Catholic priest, a 12-year-old boy is leading the fight against pedophilia in a remote village here where his older brother and many of their friends are also victims. Police officials here said JVA (the boy’s alias in the criminal complaint) convinced his 22-year-old brother, […]
Read More...Death penalty is fruit of laws lacking humanity, mercy, pope says
January 7, 2019 · By Junno Arocho Esteves for angelusnews.com
The death penalty is an inhumane form of punishment that ignores the primacy of mercy in the name of justice, Pope Francis said. Meeting a delegation from the International Commission against the Death Penalty Dec. 17, the pope set aside his prepared remarks and spoke off the cuff, the Vatican said. In his prepared text, […]
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