Category Archives: Current Events
VIDEO: Yes, the Drought Is Bad in California. It’s Going to Be Much, Much Worse in Arizona
On April 22, Arizona held a public meeting to prepare for an eventual shortage declaration, which could come as soon as this August. The latest rules that govern a shortage, established in 2007 by an agreement among the states, say that Arizona will have to contend with a 20 percent cut in water in…MORE
Huge First For Women And The Catholic Church: Pope Meets With Female Archbishop
“Open the door Richard and let me in.” remember this song. Is Francis getting ready?
The Vatican made history Monday when Pope Francis welcomed a woman archbishop to an official audience at the Apostolic Palace for the first time, according to Vatican Radio.Archbishop Antje Jackelén, the first female head of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, tweeted her gratitude for the meeting to…MORE
Conservative Catholic newspaper calls out conservative Catholics
The cafeteria’s open
Our Sunday Visitor doesn’t like conservative Catholics who have already rejected Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical even before it’s released: “Just a few short years ago … it was these same Catholics calling on their self-styled liberal counterparts to not ignore or berate the teachings or the office of the Holy Father. … Now the situation is reversed, and these offended Catholics are becoming the perpetrators of the same offensive abuse.” MORE
Belgian bishop defends priest over ‘dog funeral’
OMD(og)!
The body of Miss Chiwa, an 11-year-old chihuahua, rested on a bier before the altar of the church. Bishop Rémy Vancottem of Namur insisted the ceremony was not a Catholic funeral, but apologized to those who were troubled by the event. MORE
KC priest criticizes prosecution of Bishop Robert Finn; prosecutor fires back
No statue, just effigy
As the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese tries to move past the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn, a priest has roiled the waters with a letter alleging that the criminal charges against Finn were politically motivated.
The prosecutor who filed the case, Jean Peters Baker, this week responded with a strongly worded letter of her own. MORE
Typhoon, volcano pose twin threats to Philippines
The Philippines is preparing to evacuate residents along its northeastern coast as a typhoon approaches, as well as those near a rumbling volcano that has been spewing steam and ash over a central province, officials said on Friday.
Typhoon Noul was about 480 km (300 miles) northeast of the town of Borongan in Eastern Samar province early on Friday, with wind gusts of up to 185 km per hour (115 mph), and was expected to make landfall as a category four storm at the weekend. MORE
VIDEO: Israel to display oldest known copy of Ten Commandments
The world’s oldest complete copy of the Ten Commandments is going on rare display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem in an exhibit tracing civilization’s most pivotal moments. MORE
VIDEO: Costa Rica: Turrialba Volcano Erupts Again, Spews Ash Over 8,000 Feet Into Air
Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica erupted on Monday afternoon, sending ash over 8,000 feet (2.5 kilometers) into the air over the capital San Jose. The main international airport closed for a short time, but otherwise the volcano did not cause much alarm. MORE
Liberation theology rehabilitation continues at Vatican
The Vatican’s rehabilitation of liberation theology is continuing under Pope Francis with the movement’s founder appearing at an official Vatican event next week talking about “a poor church for the poor.”
Peruvian theologian the Rev. Gustavo Gutierrez will be one of the main speakers at a gathering of the Vatican’s charity arm, Caritas Internationalis, and will appear at an official Vatican press conference launching the assembly Tuesday. MORE
Three earthquakes shake Inland Empire area
A shallow magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported six miles from Corona, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 9:11 a.m. at a depth of about 4 miles.
Earlier, a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was reported two miles from San Jacinto. It was originally reported as a magnitude 3.1. The temblor occurred at 2:19 a.m. at a depth of about 9 to 10 miles. MORE
Iran bans ‘devil-worshipping’ spiky haircuts and male eyebrow plucking
Men in Iran wanting to get a spiky haircut, a tattoo or a good ol’ eyebrow plucking from barbers are out of luck. Officials have banned such styles, describing them as “devil-worshipping” and “homosexual.”
“Devil-worshipping hairstyles are forbidden,” Iranian barbershop union head Mostafa Govahi told the semiofficial Iranian Students’ News Agency, according to Britain’s Guardian newspaper. “Any shop that cuts hair in the devil worshipping style will be harshly dealt with and their licence revoked.” MORE
Bishop Bernard Fellay, the SSPX’s Superior General, will be offering for the funeral of Fr. Nicholas Gruner a Pontifical Requiem
Politics. What best way to get conservative Catholics under one umbrella. And away they go.
Bishop Bernard Fellay, the SSPX’s Superior General, will be offering for the funeral of Fr. Nicholas Gruner a Pontifical Requiem Mass at 9:30am on Saturday, May 9. It will be held at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls (6815 Stanley Avenue, Ontario), Canada. The burial rites will follow at St. Michael Cemetery in Ft. Erie (Stonemill Road, Ontario).
Popularly known as the “Fatima Priest”, Fr. Nicholas Gruner (b. 1942) passed away during the evening of April 29, 2015 while working at his apostolate to spread awareness about the message of Our Lady of Fatima. MORE
AUDIO: Boston Archdiocese, Catholic Parishioners Battle Over Church Eviction
When walking into the front vestibule of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church in the seaside town of Scituate, Mass. it doesn’t look or sound like the average church.
“What the hell are you doing?” an actor from The Young and the Restless says on a big-screen TV with two recliners set up in front of it. They’re all arranged right next to a stained-glass window. MORE
VIDEO: Jerusalem church readies for first modern Palestinian saints
Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarchate on Wednesday hailed the upcoming canonisation by Pope Francis of two nuns who will become the first modern-day Palestinian saints.