PHILIPPINES Cardinal and Bishops Conference condemn killing of priest   The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has condemned the murder of Fr. Mark Ventura who was shot dead by an unknown gunman on 29 April. Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, the president of the Philippines bishops’ conference, issued a [...]

INDIA A love that doesn’t take retirement   They have dedicated their lives to God and to their fellow men, following a path of great renunciation. They are seven priests who, many decades ago, left behind their own home territory in the South of India to work as missionaries in [...]

MEXICO Clergy appeal for an end to violence   An impassioned appeal to the Mexican government to stamp out “growing uncontrolled violence” has come from a Catholic priest whose organization has exposed the country as being the most dangerous place for clergy in the whole of Latin America. In an [...]

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC At least 19 killed including priest in church attack   A priest has described seeing at least 19 Christians were killed when gunmen ‘rained down bullets’ on more than 2,000 people gathered for Mass in the Central African Republic. Father Moses Otii, the parish priest of Our [...]

Bishops demand that President acts to end violence or resign   Nigeria’s bishops have issued a formal statement calling on the President to “consider stepping aside” and accusing the government of security failures which they blame for the murder of 17 Christians including two priests. Condemning the “rampaging and murderous terrorists”, [...]

KOREA Call for world prayers for peace and reconciliation   Ahead of the inner-Korean summit-meeting, the Holy Father, as well as distinguished representatives of the Korean Church, called for prayers for peace and reconciliation on the peninsula. On Friday, April 27th, the South Korean president Moon Jae-in met North Korean [...]

PHILIPPINES “The reconstruction of the city of Marawi will take years”   Reinhard Backes travelled to the Philippine city of Marawi for the Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need. The Christian minority in the city was suppressed for months by Islamists. He was interviewed by Maximilian Lutz [...]

MEXICO 23rd priest killed while hearing confession   Another  Catholic priest has killed was Friday 20 April in the west-central Mexican state of Jalisco - the second priest murdered within one week in the country. The Mexican Bishops’ Conference said Fr Juan Miguel Contreras Garcia, 33, was performing the sacrament [...]