Catholics in Spain have voiced alarm at the rapid decline of monastic life in the country, despite reassurances from Church leaders. “We are haemorrhaging fast – religious congregations are being forced to shut their doors definitively due to scarce vocations and advancing ages,” says a statement from Christian Networks, a grouping of more than 200

One of Europe’s strangest Church-state relationships may soon come to an end if a Catholic bishop is forced to abdicate as co-prince of Andorra in a dispute over abortion. The Diari d’Andorra daily said the warning had been issued by the Pope in a telephone conversation with the principality’s chief executive, Antoni Martí, as his

The ‘Anglophone crisis’ is pitting bishops against the nation’s unbending president It had been hoped that October elections might create a better climate for negotiations between Cameroon’s government and separatists in its English-speaking areas. These hopes appear to have been dashed. The 85-year-old president, Paul Biya, has so far pursued a hardline military response against

Poland's independence will be under threat if Poles lose their faith, the country's bishops warned

'The Catholic Church will never endorse such ideas, which deceive people into thinking that, by some so-called miracle, manna will fall from heaven'

The prosperity gospel is infiltrating Catholic churches The prosperity gospel ­– the idea that God will reward people who donate to their church – has long been influential among Pentecostal and charismatic movements in the global south. But in many parts of Africa it is now finding its way into the Catholic Church too. Last

Recent media reports 'give the impression cases from decades ago have only just occurred', a spokeswoman said

Archbishop Hoser described the shrine as 'Europe's spiritual lungs' and said more infrastructure was needed

Does a boom in pilgrimages signal a religious revival? That’s doubtful Above the northern French town of Lisieux, a vast white basilica rises on a sweeping, tree-lined promontory. In the cavernous Byzantine-style interior, the shrine of St Thérèse of Lisieux is illuminated by a maze of candles, overlooked by columns and vaulted mosaics. When the

Anna Kolesarova's 'heroic testimony' is something every Catholic can aspire to, said Archbishop Bernard Bober

African dioceses are increasingly concerned at the number of priests absconding

African dioceses are increasingly reluctant to send priests to Europe When Fr Joseph Longo arrived in France from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2003, he planned to stay just a few months to complete a philosophy doctorate. Today, having run large parish clusters in different dioceses, he has become one of many