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Catholic

Saintly bones, blood not for sale, Vatican warns

Vatican City - Arab Today

Those looking for gifts for Catholic loved ones this Christmas should steer clear of websites and shops peddling saintly remains, with the Vatican reminding sellers Saturday that hawking relics is forbidden. "Trading in" or "selling relics is absolutely forbidden," the Catholic Church's saint-making office said in a new guide on how to verify relics' authenticity and preserve them. The bones,Read more

France's rightwing shifts after Macron victory

Paris - Arab Today

Demoralised and divided, France's traditional centre-right party is expected to move closer to the far-right on Sunday after picking a tough-talking devout Catholic as its new leader to take on centrist President Emmanuel Macron. The Republicans party, which represents the dominant conservative force in post-war French politics, turned to Laurent Wauquiez as it looks to recover from a disastrousRead more

Bangladesh readies rickshaw

Dhaka - Arab Today

Pope Francis will forego his trusty popemobile for a cycle rickshaw in Bangladesh, Catholic officials said Thursday, as the famously frugal pontiff began a three-day visit to the poor country. A spokesman for the Catholic Church said the pope had asked to ride in a cycle rickshaw to a park where he will lead an open-air mass on Friday, whichRead more

Scored by history, overhauled Algiers mosque to reopen

Algiers - Arab Today

At the foot of the famed UNESCO-listed Casbah district in Algiers, the Ketchaoua Mosque has had a tumultuous past that, at one point, saw it turned into a cathedral under French rule. Now the ornate towers and arches are set for a new chapter as the majestic place of worship gets ready to open its doors for the first timeRead more

South Korea church scandals under spotlight in new film

Busan - Arab Today

Catholic corruption and sex abuse allegations have made global headlines for years. Now a new film shines a spotlight on scandals at South Korea's vast and politically powerful Protestant churches. South Koreans are enthusiastic religious believers, with 44 percent practising or considering themselves religious, according to state data. Protestants are the largest group, followed by Buddhists and Catholics. The countryRead more

Muslims caught in Austrian election crossfire

Vienna - Arab Today

As Austrians grow more openly hostile towards Muslims, major political parties are deliberately brandishing Islamophobia in the Catholic majority country ahead of next month's parliamentary election. A torch-lit procession of ultra-nationalists gathered recently on the outskirts of Vienna to listen to fiery speeches on the anniversary of a 17th-century victory over Muslim Ottomans. "Today we have to defend our homelandRead more

Protocol of cooperation signed between MoI, and Secretariat of Ca...

Beirut - Arab Today

The General Secretariat of Catholic Schools and the Ministry of Information launched on Thursday a protocol of cooperation and partnership during a ceremony held at the General Secretariat's Center in Ain Najm in the presence of Minister of Information, Melhem Riachy, and dignitaries. "The ideal basis for building a good and ideal society is schools," Riachy said at the beginningRead more

Nuns in Ireland buried babies and children in mass grave

Dublin - Arab Today

Women’s groups are calling for other Catholic-run former homes for unmarried mothers to be investigated after a mass grave containing the remains of dozens of babies and young children was discovered at one such home. Roman Catholic religious orders ran homes for unmarried pregnant girls until well into the 1990s all over Ireland. The young women sent to them oftenRead more

Brexit is 'catastrophic' for Ireland

Toome - Arab Today

As counting begins after Northern Ireland's snap elections, the youthful new leader of the nationalist Sinn Fein party in the province warned about the effects of Brexit on both sides of the Irish border. "I think Brexit is catastrophic for the island of Ireland," Michelle O'Neill told AFP in an interview in the village of Toome in her constituency. O'NeillRead more

Philippine Catholic Church slams ‘reign of terror’ behind war on drugs

MANILA - Arab Today

The Philippines’ Catholic Church assailed President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs for creating a “reign of terror” among the poor, in sermons read out at Saturday services that will be repeated to congregations across the country on Sunday. In its most strongly worded attack on the crackdown on drug pushers and users, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines saidRead more