Europe News
Bishops’ welcome IICD announcement on IRA decommissioning
The Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland meeting yesterday in Maynooth, on the eve of the September General Meeting of the... Read more
Italian health minister suspends experimentation with abortion pill
Italy’s Minister of Health, Francesco Storace, has ordered the suspension of all experiments with the abortion pill known as RU-486... Read more
German president calls for safeguarding of religious education
German President Horst Köhler warned this week about the negative consequences of pushing faith out of society and he exhorted... Read more
European, US bishops meet to foster partnership
At the first meeting of its kind, European and United States bishops gathered to discuss the world’s major problems and... Read more
Woman running for president in Chile does not share Church’s values, priest warns
A well-known Chilean priest warned last week that presidential candidate Michelle Bachelet, the frontrunner in the country’s upcoming election, “does not... Read more
Legal challenge to clarify if gay marriage law in Spain is constitutional
Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla of Segorbe-Castellón, Spain, said this week the legal challenge brought by the Popular Party against... Read more
Spanish bishops to support protest of controversial education law
Several Spanish bishops have expressed their support for a protest scheduled for November in Madrid against a controversial law on... Read more
European bishops meet to discuss influence of media on young people
After an extensive debate on the influence of the mass media on young peoples’ vision of reality, the European Bishops’... Read more
Civil unions in Italy should not be equated to marriage, says Cardinal Ruini
Cardinal Camillo Ruini conceded Monday that de facto unions are on the rise in Italy, but he does not believe... Read more
Thousands witness annual Italian miracle of St. Januarius
Clergy, faithful, and even civic leaders were on hand Monday morning at Naples’ Cathedral to witness the centuries old occurrence--still... Read more
Cardinal Sepe: “The Church seeks good of society when she defends the family”
Before more than 15,000 people gathered in Torreciudad, Spain, to celebrate the 16th Marian Day of the Family, the Prefect... Read more
Vatican reveals Pope John Paul II lasts words: “Let me go to the house of the Father.”
Let me go to the house of the Father.” These were Pope John Paul II’s last words, mumbled in polish... Read more
Socialists push to have referendum on legalization of abortion in Portugal
A new law that would legalize abortion in Portugal up to the seventh week of pregnancy could be the subject... Read more
Laicism should mean neutrality, not exclusion says French archbishop
Reflecting on laicism and religion in France, Archbishop Andre Lacrampe of Besançon and president of the National Council for Solidarity,... Read more
Protestant-Catholic Relations Tense Over German Bible Revision
Ecumenical cooperation in Germany has experienced “a bitter setback” after it was made public last Thursday that German Protestants rejected... Read more
Vatican cardinal calls for defense of marriage against legalization of civil unions
The president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Cardinal Julian Herranz, called on legislators and judges this week to... Read more
Turkish Government invites Benedict XVI to visit country in 2006
The Turkish Government official invited Pope Benedict XVI to visit the Muslim country next year, although the original proposal of... Read more
EU asks China to reconsider travel ban for bishops
China’s refusal to let four Catholic bishops travel to Rome for a synod shows the country’s poor state of human... Read more
No timetable for beatification of John Paul PII, says Vatican prefect
In statements picked up by the Europa Press news agency, the Prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints,... Read more
Priest who survived execution attempt during Spanish Civil War dies
Father Eugenio Laguarda, known as "the resurrected priest" for having survived an attempted execution during the religious persecution in Spain,... Read more
