Roman Catholic Church
latest news & developments
Will the new pope continue support for ethical organ donation?
It is important for South Africa’s about 3.5 million Catholics to know that the church approves, especially given the low donor rates in the country
No good will come of overturning Roe v Wade
The US supreme court’s ruling on landmark abortion case will be felt most keenly by women
Doctor found guilty but not convicted in Spain ‘stolen baby’ case
The court found former gynaecologist Eduardo Vela guilty of taking Ines Madrigal, now 49, away from her mother as a newborn in 1969
Keeping the faith
Organised religion, which tells us to believe in invisible things, does not tackle real suffering
Mother Teresa will achieve sainthood this weekend – 19 years after her death
The nun was beatified in 2003 after the procedure to establish her case for sainthood was started two years after her death instead of the usual five.
A reminder that saints walk among us
Twenty-five years ago in Venda, a man died for his beliefs at the hands of a vicious mob. Now he is poised to become South Africa’s first saint.
Pope’s visit to Mexico not welcome by all
Pope Benedict arrived in Mexico this weekend promising to "unmask the evil" of drug trafficking in a country ravaged by gang violence.
Lively debate among Catholics on pope condom remarks
The pope’s view that condoms can sometimes be used to fight Aids has kindled a lively debate among Roman Catholic theologians and commentators.
Call for pope to step down over Holocaust denier
Attacks on the pope’s decision to lift the excommunication of a Holocaust denier escalated on Monday, with a theologian calling on him to step down.
Euthanasia still a dilemma for Dutch doctors
”I am not a monster. I’m also not a God. In the best case I’m an angel,” muses a doctor in a Dutch play about euthanasia, before delivering a lethal injection to an old friend, a…
Zim run-off vote may face year delay
Zimbabwe’s ruling party has said that a second round of presidential elections could be delayed by up to a year in a move that would extend Robert Mugabe’s rule even though he…
Iraq archbishop kidnappers wanted $1-million
Kidnappers of a Chaldean Catholic archbishop found dead in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul had demanded a -million ransom, a senior police official said on Friday. Paulos Faraj…
Succession questions after Paisley announces departure
Northern Ireland’s largest Protestant party scrambled on Wednesday to secure a seamless transfer of power after its firebrand leader, Ian Paisley, announced his departure,…
Archbishop Christodoulos, Greece’s vocal head cleric, dies at 69
The head of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Archbishop Christodoulos, who died on January 28 aged 69 after a seven-month battle with liver cancer, was a charismatic orator who…
Holocaust-themed Rio Carnival float causes strain
A Carnival float with a pile of model dead bodies commemorating the Holocaust is causing unease before the lavish parades in Rio de Janeiro this weekend. The Viradouro samba…