Archive for June 4, 2024

The entrance of Jaffa Gate (interior), one of the main access points to the Old City of Jerusalem, was almost empty around noon on Friday, May 24. According to data from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, just over 80,000 people entered the country in April 2024, a decrease of 77 percent compared to April 2023. The same decrease was recorded for the first quarter of 2024.?w=200&h=150

By Marinella Bandini

Where are all the pilgrims? The current state of religious tourism in the Holy Land

During the month of May in Jerusalem, the major holidays of the three major religions passed with an almost total... Read more

One of 100 ancient churches identified for preservation by France's Patrimony Foundation, this church is in Cachen, located within the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.?w=200&h=150

By Solène Tadié

Rescue of more historic Catholic sites in France gets underway

The danger that has been threatening France’s religious heritage for decades is becoming a matter of concern to the authorities... Read more

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By AC Wimmer

Netherlands permits euthanasia for physically healthy 29-year-old woman

Despite being physically healthy, the woman from Oldenzaal, a town near the German border, chose to end her life due... Read more

Believers gather at the Namugongo Shrine in Uganda for this year’s Martyrs’ Day Pilgrimage on June 3, 2024, where the country's president, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, urged them to be at the forefront of fostering peace in the East African region. Museveni lauded Christians and other believers in the country for "embracing unity" and fostering religious tolerance.?w=200&h=150

By Silas Mwale Isenjia

Uganda Martyrs Day: President urges Christians to lead by example in fostering peace

The president of Uganda urged believers gathered at the Namugongo Shrine for this year’s Martyrs’ Day Pilgrimage to be at... Read more

Activists wave placards and chant slogans as they participate in a demonstration against the Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, also known as the Anti-Conversion Bill, on Dec. 22, 2021, in Bengaluru, India.?w=200&h=150

By Anto Akkara

Indian Supreme Court: Anti-conversion law may be ‘unconstitutional’

The court noted that “some parts [of the law] may seem to be violative of the fundamental right to religion... Read more

Pope Francis meets with members of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.?w=200&h=150

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis appoints new members to Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

The new appointments come as the Vatican office continues to grapple with the ecumenical fallout from Fiducia Supplicans. Read more

There are 159 sculptures adorning the monstrance used in the annual Corpus Christi procession in Valencia, Spain, including biblical scenes from the Old Testament up to the Good Shepherd and the risen Christ. The apostles and doctors of the Church adorn the host and Eucharistic miracles are depicted. Saints particularly devoted to the Eucharist are part of the multitude of adorers, as is Pope Pius X, known as the "pope of the Eucharist" since he encouraged frequent reception of the sacrament and lowered the age for first Communion. June 2, 2024.?w=200&h=150

By Rachel Thomas

World’s biggest monstrance created in reparation for Spanish war leads yearly procession

The monstrance used in the annual Corpus Christi procession in Valencia, Spain, was created as an act of reparation for... Read more

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Wednesday general audience on May 8, 2024.?w=200&h=150

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis tells gay man rejected from seminary to ‘go ahead with your vocation’

According to the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, the pope responded to an email from Lorenzo Michele Noè Caruso, telling him... Read more

Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong.?w=200&h=150

By Jonah McKeown

Hong Kong cardinal urges forgiveness on Tiananmen Square 35th anniversary

During the June 4, 1989, clash between protesters and Chinese troops, tanks rolled into Beijing’s main city square and military... Read more

Melinda French Gates shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace on June 23, 2023.?w=200&h=150

By Daniel Payne

Melinda Gates, a Catholic, to give millions to fund abortion throughout the world

Gates, who has written fondly about her Catholic upbringing, said last week she is giving multimillion-dollar donations to abortion-supporting groups. Read more

The cathedral church of Mexico City, the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, in the historic center of the city, is seen here on May 29, 2024, during the closing campaign rally of the country's victorious presidential candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum.?w=200&h=150

By Diego López Colín

Mexican bishops congratulate country’s president-elect 

The bishops of Mexico congratulated Claudia Sheinbaum, president-elect of the country, “for her victory at the polls” in the June... Read more

St. Ignatius College Prep is located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago.?w=200&h=150

By Daniel Payne

Catholic priest injured in Chicago shooting after confronting car thieves

The shooting took place outside the Jesuit residence of the priest and 15 other Jesuits who serve St. Ignatius College... Read more