A retired Archbishop who bore the brunt of one of the worst Christian persecutions India has ever witnessed in modern times, died on Sunday, August 14. Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, who led the archdiocese for over 30 years, died of colon cancer at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Mumbai at the age of 82. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the Archbishop of Mumbai and President of the Latin Bishops in India (CCBI) said:

Pope Francis sent his support to an event taking place in the Italian Diocese of Ugento-S Maria di Leuca called 'Mediterranean: A Sea of Bridges,' which brought together young people from Europe and the countries bordering the Mediterranean to create a Charter which would help stop the Mediterranean from being a 'sea of death.' In a message, Pope Francis expressed his wish that the event "enkindle a renewed commitment to promoting a culture of hospitality and solidarity, and thus promote peace and fraternity among peoples."

Set deep in the woods on the Pacific Northwest, this Disney family adventure which was released at the weekend, tells the story of a little boy who gets lost in the wilderness after his parents are killed in a car crash. Pete is rescued from wolves by a giant, friendly dragon who he calls Elliott. There are spectacular scenes as they fly together over the treeline or swoop down along rivers and valleys. Five years later Pete, now resembling a bedraggled Mowgli, is discovered by Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) who works as a forest ranger and

The first half of 2016 has seen church demolitions in Cuba gather pace as the government crackdown on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) on the island continues. The authorities have also begun to confiscate 1,400 Assemblies of God (AOG) churches that were earmarked for seizure in 2015. The latest report on FoRB in Cuba by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) details 1606 separate violations between January and July 2016. Cases include the demolition and confiscation of church buildings, the destruction of church property, arbitrary detention and

Pope Francis has sent a letter to express his sorrow over the loss of life and property on the Portuguese island of Madeira, where wildfires have killed at least four people and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes. The letter, addressed to the bishop of Funchal, the capital city of Madeira, Antonio Carrilho, and signed by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was read out during Mass for Our Lady of the Mount, Patroness of Funchal.

Jesuit Refugee Service Australia (JRS) has urged Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to exercise "moral and political leadership" by immediately closing the offshore processing centres on Nauru and Manus Island after a series of damning reports showed that nearly 900 refugees are being held in desperately inhumane conditions. The service says in a statement: "JRS endorses the renewed call by the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) for the Australian government to move without delay all refugees and

The first native priest of Mongolia: Joseph Enkh, will be ordained in Ulaan Bator on 28 August 2016 by His Exc Mgr Wenceslao Padilla, Apostolic Prefect of Ulan Bator. Congolese Fr Prosper Mbumba, a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary missionaries in Mongolia, said: "This event is particularly important, for our young Church, re-founded in 1992 and today has just over a thousand baptized. The ordination of a native priest will stimulate the enthusiasm and sense of belonging among the Mongolians,

The men who refused to fight in World War I because of their faith or political beliefs have inspired an art exhibition in London. Quaker Arts Network are using stirring soundtracks, family photographs and a tent made from bandages to create Echo Chamber. The sound installation and photography project runs from 18 August to 2 September, at Friends House, the central offices of Quakers in Britain. Visitors listen to vivid personal memories of those imprisoned for their conscience, for refusing military service.

This weekend, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) overwhelmingly approved two resolutions calling on the US government to end all financial and military aid to Israel until Israel "compl[ies] with internationally recognized human rights standards", freezes settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land, and for the church to adopt an investment screen to avoid profiting from Israel's Occupation, at ELCA's triennial 2016 Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans. ELCA is one of three Lutheran church bodies in the US

With all eyes on Brazil this summer for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Catholic development agency CAFOD says the plight of Brazil's indigenous peoples and the Amazon should be centre stage. "Indigenous peoples are being murdered, criminalised, threatened, evicted from their land, and their rights to health and education are systematically violated" said CAFOD's Brazil Programme Officer, Esther Gillingham.

Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City has called the faithful to prayer as a Satanist group prepares to conduct a 'Black Mass' at the city's Civic Center later today (August 15) The ceremony, deliberately timed for the Feast of the Assumption, (celebrated on Monday in the US) will reportedly include insults to the Virgin Mary as well as mockery of the Catholic liturgy. The ceremony will be led by Dastur Adams Daniels, a registered sex offender who says that he is "doing the Devil's work."

The Church doesn't need bureaucrats, she needs impassioned missionaries with fire in their hearts, Pope Francis told pilgrims in St Peter's Square during the Angelus on Sunday. He warned that without this fire, the Church risked becoming a cold or merely lukewarm Church, made up of cold and lukewarm Christians, and urged his listeners to reflect on their own attitudes. Quoting from Jesus' words where he said: "I have come to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were blazing already!"

Manresa Amigos - Jesuit novices from the noviciate in Birmingham, which serves the provinces of Britain, Ireland, Flanders and the Netherlands, have a new post on their blog about their action-packed and breathtaking weeks on World Youth Day in Krakow and MAGIS - the Jesuits' week-long preparatory event for young people from across the world.

About two months ago I attended a meeting in the Diocese of East Anglia about the phenomenon of human slavery in the area around Peterborough, Wisbech and Boston. I was horrified by what I heard. Two young police officers working in the area - one from Lithuania and the other originally from Slovakia - spoke movingly about how unscrupulous recruiters often travel to Lithuania, Slovakia and Albania and entice many hundreds of young men and women with all kinds of false promises

Hundreds of people gathered in St George's Cathedral, Southwark, on Saturday, for a special Mass to celebrate Blessed Oscar Romero's 99th birthday. In his homily, Bishop Patrick Lynch, Bishop for Migrants reflected on the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the suffering of many people today, inspired by a homily Romero preached on the same subject over thirty years ago. "The Good Samaritan truly 'sees' the suffering: he is 'sensitive' to the suffering:

Caritas Bangladesh is launching a series of initiatives to help victims of the devastating floods in Bangladesh. Volunteers have distributed money and hygiene kits for at least 1,650 families affected by the emergency. Efforts are concentrated in two districts in the north of the country. The delivery of relief supplies was also attended by officials of the central government of Dhaka. In the summer of 2016, Bangladesh suffered the worst floods in 10 years.

The Church is continuing to provide help for those remaining in Aleppo - despite rebel forces pushing forward to seize the city - including feeding thousands every day. Jesuit priest Fr Ziad Hilal told Aid to the Church in Need: "It is a sad situation for everybody because of the fighting. I couldn't sleep well there because all the night we heard the bombardment and the fighting between the groups." In many cases people are relying on charity for their food, and the Church has stepped in to help feed those left in Aleppo

Islam, Peace, and Interfaith & Christian-Muslim Relations - Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, noted New Delhi-based Islamic scholar and head of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality interviewed by Victor Edwin, a Jesuit scholar who teaches Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at the Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi, one of India's leading Jesuit centres for higher religious learning.

For several weeks I've been busy on my Oxford University Department's Summer Schools. We've just finished the last, the Theology School, which runs for two weeks and is held at Christ Church. It's a wonderful occasion, hard work for the students in their seminars, but equally hard for the team that supports them. I work as Pastoral Director with the Academic Director, my friend, colleague and fellow canon, Angela Tilby. It's a great atmosphere with people from different countries and Christian backgrounds,

Yesterday Pope Francis visited a refugee centre in Rome housing women rescued from prostitution as part of his 'Friday of Mercy' gestures during this Jubilee Year of Mercy. The home is run by the Pope John the 23rd community. During his visit, Pope Francis met 20 women rescued from the sex trade who were trafficked from their countries of origin that included Romania, Albania, Nigeria, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Italy.

The Franciscan International Study Centre in Canterbury is now accepting applications for their Ecumenical Training Programme in Spiritual Direction. This part-time programme begins in October 2016 and finishes in June 2017 and comprises one weekend each term plus one Saturday each month during term time. Franciscan Spiritual Direction is rooted in the spirituality of the Franciscan tradition. At its heart is the desire to see God in all of life, especially through God's creation, shown in nature and in one another. This Programme focuses on

The national Catholic Seminary in Beijing is looking for a teacher of English for the coming academic year, beginning in September. There will be full schedule of teaching each week; A visa will be secured for the successful applicant and there will be a salary and board and lodgings. Normally the applicant will need a bachelors degree, with teaching experience, and either language teaching experience or a qualification by a group such as TOEFL or IELTS.

A Catholic church in Collipulli, in the Araucanía region of Chile, was burnt down in the early hours of 9 August. The church, San Andres Chapel, is one of 16 churches destroyed by arson attacks since December 2015. Both Catholic and Protestant churches have been targeted in the Araucanía and Bío-Bío regions of the country and despite a government investigation it is still unclear who exactly is behind them.

The Gospel of John, writes Jean Vanier, stresses how life is both 'relationship' and 'communion', with God and with each other, but that we discover through John that these relationships are also about transformation, that 'human beings need to be gradually transformed, body and soul, to enter into a fullness of love.' In this chapter-by-chapter exploration of the Gospel of John, Vanier explains how Jesus taught this lesson at every step of his ministry.

A few weeks ago, 69 Vietnamese victims of human trafficking were found in the Philippines. These migrants had been brought from Vietnam two at a time on a tourist visa by a syndicate and made to work for three years on low wages or none at all by human traffickers. They were then abandoned by their gang-masters, declared indigent and deported. The Philippines is now a destination for low-paid or even slave labour as if it didn't have enough itself. The Philippines is mostly a source of human trafficking victims both internal and international.