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Vatican questions “preventive” war in Iran as Leo XIV intensifies diplomatic calls for peace
An Italian: this is the Pope’s new ambassador “to” Donald Trump
Starting in the second half of 2026, there will be an admission fee to enter Cologne Cathedral
From Artificial Intelligence to Ancient Rites: Rome’s International Exorcism Course Explores the Church’s Response to Modern Forms of Spiritual Confusion
Poland’s Bishops Introduce Financial Penalties for Clergy Under Renewed Canon Law Discipline
Pro-life and anti-LGBT+: this is Trump’s new secretary of homeland security
A Pope’s Letter to a Newspaper: Leo XIV Reflects on 150 Years of Journalism in a Changing World
War in the Middle East: Chapel and church buildings attacked in Iraq
Former Director of Oxford Seminary Converts to Catholicism
Questions about liturgy: Ash Wednesday, liturgy, and children
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Archive for the ‘Local Church’ Category

The work of golden mosaic measures 10 by 50 meters and was installed in 2007. Photo: Shutterstock

Local Church•Persecuted Christians

Ortega Regime Seizes Matagalpa Diocese Headquarters in Latest Attack on Nicaragua’s Catholic Church

The confiscation of the curia is widely seen as an extension of the Ortega regime’s vendetta against Bishop Rolando Álvarez, the exiled leader of the diocese. Arrested in 2022 after a two-week police raid on churches in Matagalpa, Álvarez was sentenced in 2023 to 26 years in prison on charges of “treason.” Stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship, he became stateless in a blatant violation of international law.

Justice and Peace•Local Church•Protection of vulnerable people

Archdiocese of Chicago brings alleged fraudsters who allegedly posed as abuse victims to trial

According to the lawsuit, a group of men—some of them convicted gang members and murderers—devised a scheme more than a decade ago to falsely accuse McCormack of sexual abuse. A recorded prison call would have revealed discussions of how easy it was to deceive the archdiocese. Other subpoenas uncovered conversations in which the accused reportedly joked about exploiting the system.

Local Church•Vocations

Historic drop in priestly ordinations in Germany by 2025 (these are the 4 exceptions)

The drop in priestly ordinations is not a sudden collapse but the continuation of a trend that has been unfolding for decades. In 1962, 557 men were ordained as diocesan priests in Germany. By 2004, that number had fallen to 122. Ten years later, in 2014, it had dropped further to 75. More recently, the numbers have been even lower—33 in 2022, 35 in 2023, and now 29 in 2024.