It's a common grumble that politicians' lifestyles are far removed from those of their electorate. Not so in Uruguay. Meet the president - who lives on a ramshackle farm and gives away most of his pay.
Mass was celebrated for the first time in a long time, in an old Christian church in Al-Hirah, in the heart of Shi’ite Islam. After a silence which lasted 17 centuries, the bells in a Christian church in the holy city of Najaf, in Iraq, have sounded once again.
A legal challenge over plans for two new Catholic schools in the London Borough of Richmond is being heard at the High Court. The British Humanist Association and another group claim Richmond Council broke laws in approving new schools which can prioritise Catholic children.
Below is a great article from Catholic News Service about 15 year-old Gold medalist Katie Ledecky. Kate won Gold in the 800 meter freestyle on Friday! She says a Hail Mary before every race, and loves attending Mass every Sunday. As the article below indicates, she's one of Catholic America's shining stars!
In a pastoral letter the bishops encourage the community to follow the simple but fundamental advice that “money is at the service of man and man is not a slave of money”. Money, the prelates say in particular, “is not made to be increased by itself. It is not an end in itself”.
Reprisals against clergy who resisted illicit ordination. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Harbin where the illicit ordination took place on July 6. The government is exacting revenge against seven priests in Heilongjiang province who resisted the illicit episcopal ordination of Father Joseph Yue Fusheng in Harbin earlier this month, local Church sources say.
Oxford University will use a record donation to abolish the tuition fee increase for its poorest students - keeping fees at £3,500 per year. In a bid to remove financial barriers, eligible students will also receive funding for all their living costs. Earlier this week, the university admissions service, Ucas, published figures showing that applications had fallen by 8.9%, raising concerns that potential students were being deterred by the increase in fees.
96,000 postcards have been sent to Ireland’s prime minister protesting the closing of country’s Embassy to the Holy See. The Irish Government is coming under increased pressure to reverse a controversial decision to close the country’s Embassy to the Holy See.-
In Italy, an otherwise happy 13-year-old Ethiopian boy set out last week from his adoptive home with perilous plans to journey by land and sea back to Africa. He headed south, adrift for five days in southern Italy, but ultimately didn't get too far.
The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster said: “The Papal Visit to the UK remains a moment of great importance and a vivid memory. This stamp helps many people to reflect further on the role of faith today. The depiction of Blessed John Henry Newman alongside Pope Benedict XVI signals an affinity of mind and an encouragement in our study and proclamation of our faith.”
Girls are growing up in a "moral abyss" where being dressed in "mini-me" sexy clothing and wearing make-up is acceptable, a schools leader has said.
Hundreds of young people are expected to march through London later to highlight the problem of youth unemployment. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 911,000 people in the UK under the age of 24 are currently out of work. That has risen from from 367,000 a decade ago. The protesters have an appointment at Downing Street to hand in a petition signed by tens of thousands of disaffected young people.
The news of the death of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi marks the end of a much too long and tragic phase of a brutal struggle to bring down a harsh and oppressive regime. This dramatic event obliges us yet again to reflect on the immense toll of human suffering which accompanies the affirmation and collapse of any system which is not based on the respect and dignity of the human person, but rather on the prevailing affirmation of power.
The eviction, which could cost up to £18m, marks the end of a 10-year battle between travellers, who bought a former scrapyard on green belt land in 2001 and established their caravans there, and the council. More travellers joined them and some semi-permanent chalet dwellings were built. Over the past few days, travellers and their supporters have reinforced the perimeter of the 49 illegal plots at the site.
ABOUT 1,000 followers of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology, yesterday braved the rain and marched around Aurora Boulevard in Quezon CityPhilippines, to celebrate his feast, dramatizing their appeal to stop environmental abuse and misuse.
Even though this journey is an official visit which will consolidate the good relations existing between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Holy See, I have not come here primarily to pursue particular political or economic goals, as other statesmen do, but rather to meet people and to speak to them about God. I am pleased, therefore, to see such a large turnout of German citizens here. Many thanks!
All those red numbers on stock market boards may appear to be a strange and mysterious mix of data to many people. But the story they are telling at present will be affecting anyone. So is it time to panic then? What about somebody who is about to retire? How long will this volatility go on for? Should I be worried about my savings?
There have been falls in the numbers of teenagers drinking, smoking and taking drugs in England, a survey suggests. The report surveyed 7,296 pupils from 246 schools. A Department of Health spokesperson said: "There is no room for complacency. Dangerous drug use, alcohol misuse and smoking are still major problems that need to be tackled and we will continue to do so."
An inter-denominational rally was staged in Colombo recently in a bid to bring the nation’s Christians closer together. As well as being a celebration of diversity, some observers believe the event may have had an underlying agenda: to calm tensions that have arisen lately and which could escalate in future over forced conversions.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has launched an unprecedented attack on the Catholic Church in parliament. Enda Kenny said the relationship between church and state in Ireland could not be the same again.
