• Report finds hate crimes rising against Indian Christians despite lockdown

    Hate crimes against Christians in India increased by 40% in the first half of 2020 despite a three-month nationwide lockdown, according to a new report. In a report published July 29, the ecumenical group Persecution Relief said it had documented 293 incidents between January and... Read more
  • The Magnanimity & Humility of St. Ignatius of Loyola

    When Pope Francis, the first Jesuit to become pope, celebrated Mass for the feast of St. Mark last April, he used his homily to exhort the Church to proclaim the Gospel with magnanimity and humility.  He noted that St. Thomas Aquinas taught that magnanimity, or great-souledness, means... Read more
  • Appeals court vacates Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence, orders new penalty trial

    A federal appeals court ruled on Friday to vacate the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who along with his brother planted homemade bombs near the finish of the 2013 Boston Marathon, killing three spectators. The court also ruled to set aside three of his 30 convictions but said he will... Read more
  • After AOC decries statue, Hawaiian Catholic says St Damien of Molokai ‘gave his life’ serving lepers

    A Hawaiian Catholic catechist said that St. Damien of Molokai is a “hero” to the Hawaiian people, after a prominent congresswoman claimed the statue honoring him in the U.S. Capitol is part of colonialism and “patriarchy and white supremacist culture.”  St. Damien “gave his... Read more
  • Return or Go Extinct: 5 Things That Must Change Now for Iraq’s Christians

    ERBIL, Iraq — A new report from Aid to the Church in Need  (ACN) is sounding the final warning bells for the world that Iraq’s Christians are continuing to leave in greater numbers than they are returning to their homeland on the Nineveh Plains in the aftermath of ISIS’... Read more
  • The Vatican and China: Lessons From John Paul II and Cuba

    In October 1997, as Pope John Paul II prepared for a historic visit to Fidel Castro’s Cuba, a once devoutly Catholic country that communists had subjected to a nasty war on religion, Vatican aides found a hidden microphone in the parish house where the Pope was scheduled to stay. The Vatican... Read more
  • For Blessed Solanus, the poor were ‘light of the splendor of God,’ cardinal says

    Editor's note: This article was originally written for Blssd. Solanus's beatification in 2017. Ave Maria Radio was in attendance and covered the celebration in the days leading up and following. We share this today for his feast. DETROIT — A humble priest and porter, Fr. Solanus Casey... Read more
  • Congressional hearing highlights case of missing Chinese Catholic bishop

    The fate of a long-imprisoned Catholic bishop in China was the focus of a congressional hearing on Thursday, amid growing concern he may have died in the custody of the Communist government. “President Xi Jinping: Where is Bishop Su, and what have you done to him?” Rep. Chris Smith... Read more
  • San Francisco to Name Street After First Black Firefighter, a Catholic Convert

     San Francisco’s first Black firefighter, a Catholic convert whose faith helped him endure years of racial abuse within the department, will have a city street named after him. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously June 14 to name a portion of Willow Street between Buchanan and... Read more
  • Don’t Cancel Flannery O’Connor

    Last week, Loyola University Maryland announced that it is renaming the Flannery O’Connor Residence Hall on campus. In an email to the Loyola community, President Brian F. Linnane, S.J., stated that he made this decision based on “information coming forward recently” which “revealed... Read more