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SINGAPORE – In a line that may once again stir reaction in more traditional Catholic quarters, Pope Francis on Friday wrapped up a three-day visit to Singapore, a country with large pockets of at least five different faiths, that “all religions are a path to God.” “They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all,” the pope said, who had set aside his prepared text and spoke largely off the cuff. “Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God.” The pontiff made his remarks during a interreligious meeting with young people held at a Catholic junior college, just prior to departing Singapore for his return flight to Rome. Such rhetoric has stirred controversy in the path among more conservative Catholics who fear that it calls into question Cath...

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Sep 12, 2024 / 12:35 pm At Mass with approximately 50,000 Catholics in Singapore on Thursday, Pope Francis recalled the example of the great missionary to Asia, St. Francis Xavier, who responded with enthusiasm to the call to spread God’s love. The pontiff celebrated Mass in the Singapore National Stadium, a national landmark, on the last full day of his trip to four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania Sept. 2–13. The enthusiastic crowd ranged from young babies to the elderly. Among the mostly Singaporean attendees there were also migrant workers from Malaysia, Vietnamese Catholics, and a delegation from Hong Kong led by Cardinal Stephen Chow. After visiting the majority-Muslim country of Indonesia, followed by the mostly Christian Papua New Guinea an...

By Anto Akkara Bangalore, India, Sep 10, 2024 / 11:15 am More than 4,000 Catholics on Sept. 2 assembled in the remote Jamboni jungle to mark the 25-year observance of the death of 33-year-old Father Arul Das of the Balasore Diocese, who was shot and pierced with arrows in his thatched chapel-house during the early hours of Sept. 2, 1999. “Father Arul very closely followed the life of Jesus. Like Jesus as a good shepherd, Father Arul too tried to be a good shepherd for the people of this locality,” said Balasore Bishop Varghese Thottamkara in his sermon at the jubilee Mass. Along with the bishop, over 50 priests and hundreds of nuns from different parts of the sprawling diocese and beyond were present at the celebration at which the clergyman was hailed as a martyr.  Thousands gather a...

By Courtney Mares Dili, East Timor, Sep 9, 2024 / 11:06 am Upon his arrival in the Catholic island of East Timor on Monday, Pope Francis entrusted the new country to the Blessed Virgin Mary, “I entrust East Timor and all its people to the protection of the Immaculate Conception, heavenly patroness invoked under the title of ‘Virgem de Aitara,’” Pope Francis said at the welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in the capital city of Dili on Sept. 9. “May she accompany you and help you always in your mission to build a free, democratic, and united country where no one feels excluded and everyone can live in peace and dignity.” Pope Francis addresses the authorities, civil society, and diplomatic corps at a welcome cermony at the Presidential Palace in the capital city of Dili, East Timor,...

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Sep 8, 2024 / 09:10 am Pope Francis on Sunday encouraged Catholics in a remote town in Papua New Guinea to continue to be missionaries where they live, working together to replace superstition and fear with love. After celebrating Mass in Port Moresby on Sept. 8, the pope traveled 620 miles by air to Vanimo, a coastal town on a peninsula in northwest Papua New Guinea close to the border with Papua, a province of Indonesia. The pontiff reached the popular surfing destination, known for its white sand beaches, after a two-hour flight aboard an Australian C-130 military plane. Pope Francis boarding a flight of the Royal Australian Air Force from Port Moresby to the remote town of Vanimo, Papua New Guinea. Credit: VAMP Pool Aboard the plane, Francis brought m...

Pope Francis called on Catholics in Papua New Guinea on Saturday to continue in their efforts of bringing the Gospel to the most marginalized and remote communities within the country. During a visit to the Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians in Port Moresby on Sept. 7, the Pope addressed bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians and catechists from across Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The Pope was warmly welcomed by tribes from Hela Province, Central Province, and many of the island’s remote provinces. The crowd cheered, “God is good all the time. All the time God is good.” Pope Francis speaks at the Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians in Port Moresby on Sept. 7. | Daniel Ibáñez/CNA “It is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Pope. I am so excited that he is coming,” said Gert...

By Kristina Millare Rome Newsroom, Sep 6, 2024 / 09:45 am Pope Francis touched down in Papua New Guinea on Friday, the second country of his 12-day apostolic journey to Asia and Oceania, following emerging reports of a failed attempt on his life during his Indonesia visit. Landing in Jacksons International Airport in the country’s capital, Port Moresby, in the evening (local time) of Sept. 6 after a six-hour flight from Jakarta, Indonesia, the pope was greeted on the tarmac by women belonging to the Mekeo tribe wearing traditional dress.   Following the guard of honor, Papua New Guinea Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso and other civil dignitaries officially welcomed Pope Francis — the second pope to visit the Oceania nation — in a formal ceremony at the airport.  Pope Francis...

By Solène Tadié Budapest, Hungary, Sep 4, 2024 / 07:00 am The historic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France, was ravaged by arson on the night of Sept. 2. The suspect, a multi-recidivist who has attempted to set fire to numerous places of worship in the past, was apprehended a few hours after the blaze was brought under control. According to local authorities, the fire started at around 4 a.m. It then spread to the side and central aisles, then to the roof and bell tower, which rapidly collapsed. The fire was contained by 7:15 a.m. thanks to the efforts of 120 firefighters. While no injuries were reported, some 60 local residents living near the building were evacuated as a precaution. The initial investigation revealed that ...

By Kristina Millare Vatican City, Sep 2, 2024 / 08:18 am Pope Francis departed Rome on Monday to commence his 45th apostolic journey, one that will take him to Southeast Asia and Oceania over the course of nearly two weeks. During his 11-day journey — the longest trip of his papacy to date — the 87-year-old pontiff will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste (East Timor), and Singapore from Sept. 2–13.   Prior to commencing his trip, the pope paid a visit to Salus Populi Romani (the Byzantine icon depicting the Blessed Virgin as the health and protector of the Roman people) at the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday to entrust his journey to the Mother of God.  On Sept. 3, the Holy Father will first land in Jakarta, Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majori...

By Kristina Millare Vatican City, Aug 30, 2024 / 13:40 pm The Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church, an Eastern Catholic rite in full communion with Rome, appointed two new bishops for Changanacherry and Shamshabad in India on Friday. The appointments come after years of internal tensions among Syro-Malabar Church leaders regarding a synodal, unified liturgy of the ancient Oriental Church. In May, Pope Francis warned the Church’s leaders that division comes from the work of “the devil, the divider” and that unity of the Eastern Church with Rome is essential. “Apart from Peter, apart from the major archbishop, there is no Church,” stated the Holy Father in the May meeting with leaders and members of the Syro-Malabar Church at the Vatican. On the July 3 feast day of St. Thomas the Apos...