Mission
Hot Topics
Three Areas Where the Fire of Pastoral Ministry Can Be Rekindled, According to Pope Leo XIV
Catholic Church in the US publishes its 2026 annual report on religious freedom in the country
Bishops Representing Latin America, Canada, and United States Gather to Pray, Discuss, and Reaffirm Their Unity as One Church
Exile as Policy: Nicaragua Expels Another Priest as Pressure on the Catholic Church Intensifies
Israel unprecedented expropriation of Palestinian land
The 4 tasks Pope Leo XIV gave to the Legionaries of Christ: charism, authority, missionary unity, and synodality
“The missionary scope of Lent”: Pope Leo XIV’s Ash Wednesday homily, with which he opens his first Lent
What does it mean that the Church is the mystery made perceptible? Pope Leo XIV explains it
“May the Pope retain his complete freedom to speak the truth and proclaim Jesus Christ,” asks Leo XIV
Puerto Rico’s pro-life governor redefines the concept of “human being” in criminal law, opening a new phase in the abortion debate
Categoría

Archive for the ‘Church and World’ Category

John Paul II. Photo: Vatican Media

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.

Analysis Opinion•Church and World•Young People

Study reveals that 2 out of 10 adults have abandoned the faith they grew up in: Christianity and Buddhism most affected

In some regions, such as India, Israel, Nigeria, and Thailand, religious stability remains strong, with over 95% of adults continuing to identify with the faith they grew up in. However, in parts of East Asia, Western Europe, and the Americas, religious shifts are far more common. For example, nearly half of adults in South Korea (50%) and over a third in the Netherlands (36%) and the United States (28%) no longer adhere to their childhood religion.