A lay woman reads in Casa Santa Marta on 4 February 2020. Vatican News.

International

Pope Francis formalises presence of women at the altar

Pope Francis has established that from now on the ministries of lector and acolyte are to be open to women in a stable and institutionalised form through a specific mandate.

International

Support for Fijians after Cyclone Yasa strikes

Caritas Australia’s partners are on the ground responding to the immediate needs of thousands of people in Fiji in the aftermath of Cyclone Yasa, a Category Five storm which slammed into the low-lying Pacific island late December 17.  

International

Responding to COVID-19 in southern Africa

Caritas Australia’s partners are on the ground responding to the impacts of COVID-19 in eastern and southern Africa, where communities that rely on small-scale agriculture for their food and livelihoods have been severely impacted by government restrictions on gatherings.

International

Pope speaks of friendship and solidarity post COVID

Pope Francis’ latest encyclical has been described by Archbishop Mark Coleridge as a roadmap for the world beyond a global pandemic and “not just for believers but for the entire human family”.

International

Italian teenager beatified

A 15-year-old computer whiz who loved playing soccer, Carlo Acutis, was beatified in the Italian town of Assisi on Saturday October 10.