Manuel Farrugia's Christ the King fresco in Paola, Malta shows modern church art need not be ugly

Nicaragua’s clergy are preaching peace. But President Ortega has accused them of plotting a coup

I joined for the faith, I discovered humanity

Threatening letters have been sent to my mother

On Saturday two men prostrated themselves on the cool flagstones of St George’s Cathedral during their priestly ordination for the Archdiocese of Southwark. A few weeks earlier, Cardinal Vincent Nichols ordained six new priests for the Archdiocese of Westminster. On the same day, the ordinariate welcomed eight new men (including its 100th priest, Fr Michael

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✣ Cardinal faces explosive new abuse claim What happened? A man accused Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of abusing him for nearly 20 years from the age of 11. The man, identified as James, said the cardinal had been a close family friend known as “Uncle Teddy”. McCarrick was removed from public ministry after an allegation he

✣ Highlights from the week online Where seminarians struggle to survive Seminarians in Venezuela are giving up their studies to support their families in the country’s economic crisis, reported Jonathan Liedl in the National Catholic Register. He described the case of Oscar, a gifted 19-year-old in his second year of formation. His mother is “living

Hobbs, New Mexico Virgin Mary statue is ‘weeping olive oil’ A seven-foot bronze statue of the Virgin Mary appears to be weeping tears composed of scented olive oil, chemical analysis has found. The Diocese of Las Cruces has been investigating the statue at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Hobbs, New Mexico, since May, when

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The McCarrick case has revealed a defect in the system If the allegations against Cardinal Theodore McCarrick are true, they represent a microcosm of the whole abuse crisis. A powerful cleric using his position to commit his crimes and sins; a cycle of abuse, in which victims become perpetrators; churchmen not themselves guilty of abuse

A new challenge to the bishops’ authority In the last few years a series of reports have called for major reforms to Religious Education. The most recent comes from the former home secretary Charles Clarke (pictured) and the academic Linda Woodhead. “We are living,” they write, “through the single biggest change in the religious and cultural landscape