Our Latest Blogs

Cotonou, Benin’s economic capital, is overrun with motorcycle taxis. In a local language, they are called zémidjans. They are the fastest way to get a ride from one part of the city to another. No MotoGP pilot could ever compete with reckless zémidjan drivers. Their motorbikes are fuelled by gasoline of dubious origin and leave […]

In the valleys of Papua New Guinea’s highlands, people live in isolated villages. Every day they take a long trip down steep mountains, along wild rivers, and through dense forests to reach destinations like the Tapini village, which has a school and a hospital managed by the Catholic Church. Modern civilisation brings benefits, but also

The ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has written an encyclical – a papal letter sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church – announcing the pan-Orthodox Synod taking place from 18 to 27 June in Crete. The encyclical included a strongly-worded reference to the importance of collegiality. The encyclical, officially announcing and convening the pan-Orthodox

According to the Holy See, enabling those Syrian citizens who are refugees or internally displaced to return to their homes is an essential prerequisite for building a pluralistic society that respects the rights of everyone, including minorities. The Holy See has put forward a number of key proposals for the solution of the Syrian crisis, including:

Fifteen years ago, the Comboni Missionaries set up an initiative called Fen Xiang in China, which was borne out of the desire to collaborate with the local Church. Two characters form the term Fen Xiang: Fen, which means to divide or to share, and Xiang, the character for joy and good experience. Joined together, the two

According to the UN, it will cost $1.4tn (£985bn) a year to end the extreme poverty of 700 million people and meet the other ambitious targets enshrined in the world’s new development agenda. The 17 new sustainable development goals (SDGs), agreed by world leaders in September 2015, include aims to stabilise climate change, achieve gender

The Pontifical Yearbook 2016 and the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2014 examine global trends. Findings based on these reports’ data were published recently in a long statement issued by the Holy See. Both the number of Catholics and the number of priests in the world rose between 2005 and 2014, while the overall number of people

Following the assassination of a leading environmentalist in Honduras earlier this month, Bishop Emiliani has issued an appeal condemning violence. Monsignor Romulo Emiliani, the Auxiliary Bishop of San Pedro Sula, recently recalled that Lent is the liturgical time of conversion: “Honduras is experiencing difficult days during this Lent season, due to the events that have