Roberto Zammit, 43, has been appointed superior general of the Society of Christian Doctrine (MUSEUM). He succeeds Natalino Camilleri, who served at the helm for the past 12 years. The society is currently holding its general chapter, gathering...
Today’s readings: Chron 15:3-4.15-16;16:1-2; Ps 131; 1Cor 15:54-57; Lk 11:27-28. Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a.10ab; Ps 44; 1 Cor 15:20-26; Lk 1:39-56 In 1911, Joe Hill composed for the Wobblies, a radical labour organisation, the anthem The Preacher and the...
Solidarity has been in the heart, mind and words of Pope Francis. The word has been abused and misinterpreted. It goes beyond sporadic acts of charity, done out of remorse or compassion. Real solidarity has deep roots in the hearts of people,...
On vaccination Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, said: “We will only defeat this virus if we all pull together. To be vaccinated means more protection and freedom not just for you, but for everyone in society.” Catholic...
On August 1, a group of altar boys from Gozo visited Pope Francis at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a building adjacent to St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. They were in Rome to give a liturgical service at the basilica. Accompanying them were Fr Frans...
A priest in western France who was murdered by a Rwandan asylum-seeker suspected of setting fire to a cathedral in an arson attack last year and to whom he had been giving shelter died from a succession of blows to the head, prosecutors said. The...
Churches benefit from NDSF funds
Today’s readings: 1 Kings 19:4-8, Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2, John 6:41-51 Brazilian priest and theologian Clodovis Boff recalls a poignant scene that he witnessed in northeast Brazil in his early years of ministry. A middle-aged woman went up to a priest...
The current demonising of the Hungarian government by the EU over the issue of sex education in its schools brings into sharp relief some facts that demand our closest attention. Even ex-justice minister Owen Bonnici excoriated Hungary in local media...
The idolatrous temptation In his Angelus address on August 1, Pope Francis said: “Why do I seek the Lord? We need to discern this, because among the temptations we encounter is one we might call idolatrous temptation. It drives us to seek God for our...
Archbishop Charles Scicluna has appointed Mgr Paul Carmel Vella as rector of St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta. Vella was born in Siġġiewi on September 23, 1961. He received formation for the priesthood at the Archbishop’s Seminary in Tal-Virtù, Rabat,...
The Archdiocese of Malta saw its financial surplus drop from €3.5m in 2019 to €1.2 million last year as donations and other income decreased sharply as a result of COVID-19's impact on activities. Curia officials told a press conference on Thursday...
A feud between Ireland's church and state escalated on Wednesday, after the Archbishop of Dublin told Catholic priests they can resume communions and confirmations in defiance of government coronavirus guidance. In a letter seen by AFP, Archbishop...
He had a colon operation last month
A new statue commissioned by the Youth section of St Dominic, in Valletta. The statue was inaugurated last Sunday by Archbishop Charles Scicluna following the Pontifical High Mass commemorating the feast of St Dominic. The statue was crafted in...
On Sunday July 25, Archbishop Charles Scicluna celebrated mass at St Anne’s parish church in Marsascala, on the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly instituted by Pope Francis. During his homily, the archbishop said that Pope Francis is...
Today’s readings: Exodus 16, 2-4.12-15; Ephesians 4:17.20-24; John 6, 24-35 It was back in the 1990s, when I was still young and probably impressionable – this explains why the expression shocked me and lodged itself in my brain. Never did I expect a...
The mob attack on a black man at Mġarr, Gozo, caused an uproar but was unsurprising. After all, in 2019, Lassana Cisse was killed in cold blood, his companions barely spared, for no other reason than that they “looked different”. All hate crimes share...
Listening to the Holy Spirit In an interview, Sister Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, said: “There can be no synod without a spiritual journey. It is truly a journey of listening to the Holy Spirit. Throughout history, the Holy Spirit...
A set of silver statues that once belonged to St John’s Co-Cathedral were returned to the church and placed on the high altar for which they were made. The statues will be displayed until Saturday (July 31) to mark the 20-year anniversary of St John’s...
A financial scandal involving an opaque, loss-making Vatican property deal paid for with charity funds goes to trial Tuesday after a two-year probe that has implicated a once-powerful cardinal. Vatican prosecutors allege that ten defendants, including...
Display ends on Saturday
Pope Francis said Sunday he hopes the Tokyo Olympics, which opened Friday, will be a sign of hope and "universal brotherhood" during the coronavirus pandemic raging around the world. "In this period of pandemic, let these games be a sign of hope, a...
A once-powerful Catholic cardinal and nine others stand trial at the Vatican this week in an embezzlement scandal that allegedly saw charity funds used in a ruinous London property venture. Ex-cardinal Angelo Becciu, who served as the equivalent of a...
Archbishop Charles Scicluna has appointed Fr Mario Tong as archpriest of the parish of The Conversion of St Paul in Mdina. Fr Mario was born on April 29, 1953. He was educated at the Archbishop’s Seminary in Tal-Virtù, Rabat, and was ordained a priest...
2 Kings 4:42-44; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:1-15. The miraculous feeding of the five thousand is one of Jesus Christ’s best-known signs: an event so significant in his ministry that it is the only miracle to be reported – consistently in all essential...
God’s ‘style’ has three traits: “closeness, compassion and tenderness”. These were the words of Pope Francis, during his reflection last Sunday, before reciting the Angelus. In these past months, he has consistently mentioned this triad as an...
Danger of activism During his Angelus message last Sunday Pope Francis warned against the danger of activism: “Jesus wants to make his disciples aware of a danger that is always lurking there for us too: the danger of being caught up in the frenzy of...
The Vatican published for the first time Saturday its annual budget for a key department managing property and investments, just days before the start of a high-profile trial over a London investment. The 2020 budget showed that the Administration of...
This is part two in a two-part series. Read part one. The life and work of Żabbar parish priest Joseph Zarb who played a pivotal role in the coronation of the titular painting of Our Lady of Graces 70 years ago. The feast of the coronation of the...
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