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Pope Benedict remembers brother as a “man of God” | SW NEWS | 134 shalomworld on Jul 10 2020 Pope Benedict XVI says he will remember his late brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, a “man of God” for …More
Pope Benedict remembers brother as a “man of God” | SW NEWS | 134

shalomworld on Jul 10 2020 Pope Benedict XVI says he will remember his late brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, a “man of God” for whom piety, sobriety and honesty were the center of his life. The Pope Emeritus expressed his fraternal thoughts in an open letter which was read to mourners at the conclusion of his brother’s Requiem Mass. It was held on Wednesday at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in the German city of Regensburg. Monsignor Ratzinger, who was musical director at the cathedral for 30 years, died last week at the age of 96. His death came just over a week after a visit by Pope Benedict to his bedside. Religious liberty campaigners welcome Supreme Court rulings Campaigners for religious liberty have welcomed two rulings from the US Supreme Court this week. On Wednesday, the justices of the court ruled 7-2 in favor of the Trump administration’s 2017 decision to exempt religious institutions from providing contraceptive coverage to their employees under the country's Affordable Care Act. That handed victory to the Little Sisters of the Poor, the religious order that has been at the center of national debate surrounding the mandate. Over a third of Iraqi Christians expect to emigrate within five years, survey says More than a third of Iraqi Christians in the north of the country say they expect to leave their homeland within the next five years. That’s according to a new survey by the pontifical charity, Aid to the Church in Need. They interviewed Christians living in the Nineveh Plains, formally a stronghold of Iraqi Christianity. The area was captured by the Islamist terror group ISIS in 2014 and controlled by them for two years. At the beginning of that occupation, the Christian population stood at 102,000. Now it’s just 36,000 and expected to fall to 23,000 by 2024. Abortion-on-demand plan defeated in U.K. Parliament An attempt by Members of Parliament to introduce abortion on demand in England and Wales by amending proposed legislation on domestic abuse has failed. The Labor Member of Parliament, Dame Diana Johnson, had introduced the amendment which sought to make abortion available for any reason with the existing requirement for the consent of two doctors abolished. That amendment, however, was not selected for consideration by the Speaker of the House of Commons. Meanwhile, Dame Diana’s other amendment attempting to legalize home abortions was selected for debate but was withdrawn after widespread opposition from MPs. Researchers digitally reconstruct shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury The renowned medieval shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in England has been reconstructed – in digital form, at least. The rebuilding work has been carried out by a team from the University of York’s Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture. Released on the 800th anniversary of the establishment of the shrine, the digital reconstruction uses CGI technology to recreate the place of veneration which grew up around the spot where the Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Thomas Becket, was murdered by royal knights in 1170. Within 10 years of that death, over 700 miracles had been recorded at St. Thomas's tomb. Church across United States to celebrate Natural Family Planning awareness week This month will see churches across the United States celebrate Natural Family Planning awareness week. Natural Family Planning or NFP is a term that describes various methods of assisting or preventing pregnancy which are in accord with the moral teachings of the Catholic Church. Now the US Conference of Catholic Bishops are launching seven days promoting NFP. The week of celebration will start on July the 19th under the banner of “Live the truth and beauty of God's plan for married love Pope Francis appoints a new bishop for Savannah The United States is about to get a second Bishop Parkes. That’s because Pope Francis has just appointed Father Stephen Parkes as the new Bishop of Savannah in Georgia. He’s the brother of Bishop Gregory Parkes of St. Petersburg in Florida. 55-year-old Stephen Parkes was ordained to the holy priesthood in 1998 for the Diocese of Orlando. He currently serves as the dean of Central Deanery North and the pastor of Annunciation Parish in Longwood.