Freiburg (KNA) Around three years after the Islamist Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the situation of the population there is dramatic, according to Caritas. "The humanitarian situation remains extremely precarious," said Oliver Müller, head of the aid organisation Caritas Germany, in an interview with the magazine "Herder-Korrespondenz" (June issue). "Around 23 million people, half the population, are suffering from hunger," emphasised Müller. The seizure of power has had the effect of further accelerating the country's economic decline - after decades of civil war and several natural dis ..read more

By Tobias Käufer (KNA) The two moments that made him immortal were only 180 seconds apart: in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England, Diego Maradona showed his two faces: that of the genius and that of the cheat. Because Argentina, on their way to their second World Cup title, had put the English, who were hated after the Falklands War, out of the way, his compatriots were not bothered by the most famous handball goal of all time. In breach of the rules, he manoeuvred the ball past the baffled Peter Shilton into the goal and then blamed "the hand of God". The result was one of the m ..read more

Alexander Riedel (KNA) According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Jews in Germany are facing ever greater dangers. Even in the current global political situation, "the rise of anti-Semitism is a clear crisis seismograph", said the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, on Monday on the occasion of the publication of a new situation report on hatred towards Jews. This is a sad finding. The rapid increase in the number of criminal and violent acts against Jews in Germany, especially since the Hamas attack on Israel ..read more

At first glance, the streaming show Bodkin seems very modern in its attitude, but as it progresses, it reveals that Catholicism is still integral to Ireland. If you’ve logged into Netflix in recent weeks, you’ll likely have seen Bodkin promoted. Supposedly a comedy, it has all the tropes of a particular depiction of modern Irishness. Set in a village on the Atlantic coast, it’s produced by Barack Obama’s production company (International approval!), makes a huge deal of a pagan festival supposedly from the dawn of Irish history, and features three podcasters trying to get to the bottom of an ..read more

The news this week that Blessed Carlo Acutis may soon be canonised has been greeted with delight in Ireland, where he already inspires great devotion. The first saint to wear Nikes may soon become a reality. As we reported yesterday, Pope Francis has formally recognised a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian teenager whose birth in 1991 will make him the first 'millennial' to become a saint. This will come as little surprise to his growing number of admirers around the world, including right here in Ireland. Blessed Acutis was born and baptised ..read more

Jerusalem (KNA) During excavations south of the Bedouin town of Rahat in the Negev Desert, Israeli archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 1,500-year-old church. They found drawings of contemporary ships on parts of the remains of the wall, which could have been made by Christian pilgrims, according to the Israeli Antiquities Authority (Thursday). According to the report, the researchers found around ten depictions of different ships that had been carved into the stone by different people. According to archaeologist Deborah Cvikel, the level of detail shows the artists' familiarity wit ..read more

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5C9rOBdZkGBFl3T32ddlMt How to answer your child's difficult God questions In the latest episode of The Confession Box, we speak with Julianne Stanz about faith and children’s faith formation – what would you say to a 7 year old if they ask you what’s the closest planet to heaven? Julianne is the author of 'The Catholic Parents Survival Guide – Straight Answers to Your Kids Toughest Questions' and she spoke to real parents and kids from all different ages and answered the faith questions that sometimes perplex parents. The post The Confession Box – Episode 19 a ..read more

Pope Francis has formally recognised a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian teenager whose birth in 1991 will make him the first ‘millennial’ to become a saint. In a meeting on May 23 with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for Saints' Causes, the Pope signed decrees advancing the sainthood causes of Blessed Acutis, as well as one woman, and six men. The Vatican announced that the Pope had signed the decrees and that he would convene a consistory to set a date for the canonisation of Acutis. Blessed Acutis was born and baptise ..read more

There is a need to “restore” goodwill towards refugees while considering “the needs of everyone living in local communities”, according to the head of the Church of Ireland, Archbishop John McDowell. In a joint St Patrick’s Day statement two years ago, Archbishop John McDowell and Archbishop Eamon Martin called for parishes to support Ukrainian refugees by identifying properties, opening up homes and more. However, those working with Ukrainian immigrants and have helped settle women and children in local communities, parishes and schools over those two years describe “panic” among families as ..read more

Church robberies have been a feature of news emerging from multiple parish offices across the country recently. From Kerry to Donegal, thieves have targeted churches in order to seize money that may be present in the candle boxes. While robberies have been taking place across churches throughout the country, Donegal has been the target for nearly half of the recent robberies. Priests in the affected parishes have been unable to identify any reason why the county has been honed in on other than the remoteness of some churches. Fr Francis Bradley of the Fahan parish said he ‘had no theory’ as t ..read more