Causes of Saints•Good News•Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV grants his first “doctorate”: this is the saint named the 38th Doctor of the Church

Though the date of the formal proclamation has not yet been announced, the message is clear: the Church continues to learn from those who searched for truth with humility and rigor

Jul 31, 2025 21:36

Elizabeth Owens

Pro Life

Ireland’s Rising Abortion Rate Raises Fresh Debate Seven Years After Referendum

The 2024 figures represent a staggering 280 percent increase from the last full year before legal change, when 2,879 abortions were reported in 2018. She says many politicians who once advocated for legal reform are now privately expressing regret.

Jul 17, 2025 16:55

Elizabeth Owens

Church and World•Local Church

Papua New Guinea’s Christian Nation Declaration Sparks Concern Among Catholic Leaders

The Church leader also voiced concern about a growing political tendency to appropriate theological language and symbolism without sufficient spiritual discernment. “Politicians are not theologians,” he said bluntly, “and they are stepping into sacred territory without the tools to handle it responsibly.”

Jul 16, 2025 16:05

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church

Muslims on the rise, Christians on the decline: UK releases census data

Perhaps the most striking revelation: fewer than half of UK residents now identify as Christian. The number, 46.64% of nearly 67 million respondents, marks a turning point for a country historically shaped by Anglican cathedrals and Catholic parishes

Jul 13, 2025 19:14

Elizabeth Owens

Persecuted Christians

Christians in Remote Indian Village Attacked for Resisting Forced Conversions

This wasn’t just a family quarrel,” said Pallab Lima, state secretary of the Rashtriya Christian Morcha. “It was an orchestrated attempt to coerce an entire group of believers back into the fold of Hinduism, using violence as leverage.”

Jun 29, 2025 23:46

Elizabeth Owens

Good News•Local Church

Liverpool’s Modernist Crown Jewel Secures Grade I Listing as a Landmark of Postwar Faith and Vision

Constructed between 1962 and 1967 atop the vast crypt envisioned by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 1930s, the cathedral was a bold response to both modernist aesthetics and Vatican II’s call for renewed liturgical participation. Architect Sir Frederick Gibberd’s circular, centralized plan broke decisively from the axial layouts of European cathedrals, making Liverpool’s Catholic cathedral one of the most progressive sacred spaces of its time.

Jun 23, 2025 17:50

Elizabeth Owens

Pro Life•Testimonies

Woman in jail for 11 years for abortion: Canadian who opposed baby killing freed

What distinguishes Gibbons from most activists is not just her persistence, but the personal cost she has incurred. Over the past three decades, she has been arrested numerous times and spent an estimated 11 years behind bars—not for violent action or disruption, but for quiet, prayerful witness in the vicinity of abortion facilities.

Jun 20, 2025 14:18

Elizabeth Owens

Pro Life

British Parliament approves baby killing: even in the ninth month or seconds before leaving the womb

Though the 1967 Abortion Act already allows for legal abortion up to 24 weeks under broad circumstances, the new clause eliminates criminal consequences entirely, even for abortions performed at home during the final days or hours of pregnancy

Jun 18, 2025 18:54

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church•Testimonies

African springtime of faith: more than 1 million Catholics on Martyrs’ Day (and a foiled bombing)

Uganda’s Martyrs Day Draws a Million Pilgrims Amid Terror Threat Neutralized Near Kampala

Jun 04, 2025 17:02

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church•Young People

Ireland: survey reveals not encouraging attitudes of the population towards the Catholic Church and the clergy

The poll reveals a particularly sharp divide in attitudes toward priests and nuns. Roughly one-third of respondents see them positively, another third negatively, and the remainder remain neutral. Age appears to be a significant factor. Older generations, who likely had personal encounters with clergy in their youth, report more favorable views

May 22, 2025 18:18

Elizabeth Owens

Bioethics•Local Church

Britain: Catholic hospitals could close (or go to jail) if euthanasia legalized

Sherrington’s alarm is echoed by a growing number of voices, including members of Parliament such as Edward Leigh, who stated flatly: “If religious orders are forced to facilitate this practice, they will abandon the care homes entirely.”

May 22, 2025 18:15

Elizabeth Owens

Local Church•Religious Freedom

United Kingdom joins countries attacking full sacramental stealth

UK Government Faces Catholic Backlash Over Confession Breach in Child Protection Bill

May 18, 2025 12:04

Elizabeth Owens