The Catholic Church’s ban on female priests will stand forever, Pope Francis said Tuesday.
CHR Comment: Francis is frustrating progressives in the Roman Catholic Church. Although he has expressed openness on many issues, little is actually changing under his charge. Here is a significant example. Despite his apparent conservatism, he makes many statements that rile conservative Catholics.
The Catholic Church in England and Wales is launching a new website aimed at practically and spiritually helping both Catholics and non-Catholics alike grapple with issues around death and dying, and to prepare, ideally, for a “good death”.
CHR Comment: This is a modern version of the late medieval Ars Moriendi, by which people prepared to face death.
Surrounded by charred walls and in front of a ruined altar, dozens of Iraqi Christians celebrated mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
CHR Comment: Christians were driven out in August 2014 when ISIS troops occupied the city and issued an ultimatum that they should convert or else.
Church attendance is correlated with longer life and a sense of meaning.
CHR Comment: This may explain why religion, despite its detractors in modern life, will simply never go away—there are simply too many benefits associated with religious beliefs and practices.
A mother who cited religious freedom as a defense for beating her son with a coat hanger was sentenced to a year on probation.
CHR Comment: In her defense, Burmese refugee Khin Par Thaing cited Proverbs 23:13 as the basis of her actions.
The scene was extraordinary: a government targeting an ordained pastor, ordering him to surrender hard copies of his sermons and his Bible as well.
Cremation is OK for Catholics, but don’t put the ashes in jewelry, either.
CHR Comment: Chick’s work was creative but also offensive and given to a “fire insurance” approach to outreach: commit to Christ now or face hellfire and brimstone. In his day printed tracts were the rage but digital has made that medium a less compelling outreach tool.
Christians in a town in Nigeria are living in a state of shock and fear after Fulani herdsmen launched back-to-back attacks on their community in the past days, leaving over 40 people dead.
But the replacement for marble statue’s severed head is only temporary.
CHR Comment: There is something to say here about the challenges a church faces for maintaining fine art, which is an asset but can also become a burden since later generations have difficulty matching the earlier quality. Would it have been better to leave this temporary head off?
church history review 