Vatican’s foreign minister contemplates visit to Ukraine (Crux) As Ukraine awaits word on whether a potential visit from Pope Francis will in fact happen, the Vatican’s foreign minister is contemplating his own visit to Kyiv in a bid to convey solidarity and support efforts toward peace. According to sources familiar with the plans, British Archbishop Paul Gallagher intends to travel to Kyiv, and the visit was scheduled “some time ago…”
Pope joins call for truce during Orthodox Easter (Holy See Bulletin) Last Palm Sunday Pope Francis had asked for an Easter truce, to achieve peace. The Holy See and the Holy Father join in the appeal that Mr. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, in agreement with His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, launched on April 19, for a truce on the occasion of the celebration of Easter according to the Julian calendar, on April 24th. In the awareness that nothing is impossible for God, they invoke the Lord so that the population trapped in war zones be evacuated and peace be restored quickly, and they ask those who have the responsibility of nations to listen to the cry for peace of the people.
Benedict turns 95 as new book examines anomaly of two popes (AP) Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI turned 95 this past weekend, a significant milestone on its own but even more given he has now been a retired pope longer than he was a reigning one. To mark the occasion, a new book sets out to examine the current state of Vatican affairs not so much through the lens of Pope Francis’ nine-year papacy, but via Benedict’s nine-year retirement. And it isn’t pretty…
UNICEF: Maternal death rates triple amid Lebanon’s economic crisis (Vatican News) As a severe economic crisis continues to engulf Lebanon the vulnerable are suffering. According to a new report published on Wednesday by the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF, the number of women dying from pregnancy-related complications has nearly tripled in three years. The findings also showed that some 40% of doctors, including those that work specifically with children and women, have left the country, as well as some 30% of midwives due to the current economic climate…
Priest helps students connect with martial arts (CNS) Watching Father Guy Roberts lead children in a martial arts class with a distinctly Catholic emphasis, it’s hard to decide what to focus on first. There’s the sight of the 54-year-old priest, a black belt in taekwondo, spinning and unleashing a whirlwind kick of controlled power that leaves the suddenly wide-eyed boys and girls in awe. There’s the angelic smile of 11-year-old Elroy Jackson, one of the 35 grade school students who train with Father Roberts, as he shared the news that he has broken wooden boards in half. And there was the look of pure joy on the face of Claire Jackson — mother of five, including Elroy, a black belt herself and an assistant instructor — as she explained one of the special reasons she loves having her children participate in taekwondo…
COVID-themed candles on sale for Orthodox Easter (AP) Inside Greece’s Orthodox churches, candles are a symbol of faith and simplicity, slender and traditionally made of beeswax, and placed in large candleholders filled with sand. High-selling designs this Easter include pandemic-themed candles that resemble COVID-19 test kits, vaccination syringes and even red-colored representations of the ball-and-spike shaped virus itself. “This year, the COVID-test candle is definitely our best seller,” says Giorgos Souliotis, who runs an online Easter candle store and a seasonal goods store in Athens’ blue collar Korydallos area, one of the city’s most popular outlet for novelty candles…
