The Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy was granted bail on September 7 after three weeks in police custody. The judge, who ordered the girl’s release on a bail of about US $5,282, said there was insufficient evidence to justify continuing to hold Rimsha Masih in jail. However, the case against her was not dismissed. Investigations continue both into accusations that Rims...

In addition to the usual teen and children’s programs and the expected selection of workshops on such topics as the power of God and healing relationships, the 41st annual Catholic Renewal Convention sponsored by Southern California Renewal Communities offered a look into the reality of evil in the world today. But the conference workshops focusing on exorcism and deliverance ministry we...

Australia's new Ambassador to the Holy See has held his first formal reception at the Australian Embassy in Rome, promoting the upcoming Australian tour of a relic of St Francis Xavier. John McCarthy and wife Christine hosted a veritable who's who of Australia's Rome-based Religious leaders, as well the Roman Curia's most senior official for the New Evangelisation, Archbishop Rino Fisich...

By James Martone When Alice Khakame knew she was pregnant again, she set off to get blood tests at the government maternity clinic where she lives in Kangemi, a poverty-ridden area of about 100,000 people on the outskirts of Nairobi. Her husband had accompanied her for such tests in the past, but this time he refused to go. He was gone when she got back, before her blood tests showed ...

Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, a renowned biblical scholar and former archbishop of Milan, died on August 31 at the age of 85 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Pope Benedict XVI met privately with the cardinal during a visit to Milan in June, and was informed of his ailing health on August 30. In a telegram to Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan, Pope Benedict praised Ca...

By Cindy Wooden Father Caesar Atuire is not naive enough to ask his pilgrims to leave their smartphones at home. However, the CEO of a Vatican-related pilgrimage agency does ask his pilgrims to at least look at the holy sites – perhaps even say a prayer – before clicking and capturing the moment in a photo, text message, Tweet or Facebook post. Father Atuire, a Ghanaian-born priest...

A Pakistani court considering the case of a Christian girl allegedly found with burned pages of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, adjourned on August 30 without granting bail. The girl, Rimsha Masih, 11, who has Down syndrome, was charged under the country’s strict blasphemy law and has been held since August 18. Chances for her release received a boost on August 29 when district court...

Congo’s Catholic bishops helped other religious leaders circulate a petition asking UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the international community to end the continuing conflict in eastern Congo. The UN-run Radio Okapi reported that the petition had about 10 million signatures; Congo has a population of 65 million. At a late-August ecumenical service in the Protestant Centenary Cath...

The new head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith says he wants the department to play a positive role in the New Evangelisation, rather than simply responding to doctrinal problems as they arise. “The task of this congregation is not only to defend the Catholic faith but to promote it, to give the positive aspects and possibilities of the whole richness of the Cat...

As Catholics prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, all Church members need to make a renewed effort to ensure laypeople are aware of their responsibility for the Church and are allowed to exercise it, Pope Benedict XVI said. “Co-responsibility requires a change of mentality, particularly regarding the role in the Church of the laity, who should not be c...