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1 day ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Benjamin Ivry
On 14 April, the late Pope Francis declared the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí a Venerable Servant of God, recognising his heroic virtues. In doing so, he honoured a mightily talented creative spirit and much revered eccentric. Gaudí, who died a century ago, blended natural imagery and piety with extreme gusto, most unforgettably in the looming, asparagus-like towers of Sagrada Família in Barcelona.
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1 week ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Melanie McDonagh
Rocio opens the door. “There’s nothing left in the shop and the others are still clearing up lunch. They can’t talk now and we haven’t eaten yet.” She is the youngest member of the group formed around three schismatic nuns who have dared to defy their archbishop and have emerged from cloister with a vengeance. It’s 5 p.m. on a Saturday. “I’m so hungry my stomach hurts,” she adds, with a huge smile.
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1 week ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Elise Ann Allen
A quick look at the first appointments and audiences at the outset of a new papacy offers a small insight into the new system and indicates what is on the mind of the new Pope in terms of pastoral and administrative priorities.
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2 weeks ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Ngala Killian Chimtom
A leading Nigerian prelate says faith-based organisations in the Sahel region have become soft targets for extremists. Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of the Abuja Archdiocese was speaking in an exclusive interview following a regional meeting of West African bishops that took place in Dakar in Senegal designed to tackle extremism. “The number of churches, mosques, Christians, Muslims, priests, pastors, and imams being kidnapped and maimed by these radical extremists is alarming,” Kaigama said.
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2 weeks ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Elise Ann Allen
As with any papal transition, when Pope Leo XIV was elected questions arose about what his priorities would be, and whether he would continue to advance the priorities and reforms of his predecessor.
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2 weeks ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Eduardo Lima
A festival of Catholic music drew more than 40,000 attendees to the Brazilian city of Santa Bábara d’Oeste, during which demand for Confession proved too much for the priests in attendance. The city of 180,000 inhabitants is located about 85 miles away from São Paulo, Brazil’s major economic hub. The Summer Night festival on 17 May was billed as Brazil’s “largest Catholic vigil” and featured 17 singers, bands and DJs on two simultaneous stages between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning.
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2 weeks ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Elise Ann Allen
An American rabbi has voiced optimism for Catholic-Jewish relations after the election of Pope Leo XIV, saying his pontificate marks an opportunity for renewal given a spike in tensions during the last months of Pope Francis’s papacy. His comments come during heightening tensions over the war in Gaza. On Wednesday night, 21 May, in downtown Washington, DC, two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
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2 weeks ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Elise Ann Allen
In his first public general audience address, Pope Leo XIV cited the famous Parable of the Sower while drawing a parallel between it and one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous paintings. The Pope also said he would maintain his predecessor’s focus on Jesus Christ as a source of hope during the ongoing Jubilee year, and prayed for the people of Gaza.
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3 weeks ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Ngala Killian Chimtom
Catholic leaders in South Africa have blasted the Trump administration over claims of an ongoing genocide against white South Africans. US President Donald Trump recently claimed that “genocide” was taking place in South Africa. He said white farmers were being “brutally killed” and their “land is being confiscated”.
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3 weeks ago | 
thecatholicherald.com | Alice Alech
For the French, bread is a part of everyday life: a daily source of sustenance. Saint Honoré, from northern France, is recognized for many miracles, but is essentially associated with miracles involving bread. Known in Latin as Honoratus, he is the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs. The sumptuous Saint-Honoré cake, a classic French treat, was created in his honour in 1857. St Honoré was a seventh-century Bishop of Amiens, and his connection with bread is not immediately apparent.