Pope Francis calls Catholic media criticism "the work of the devil"
Francis also revealed he offered a Jewish woman the Eucharist against church policy
Hi ReligionUnplugged readers,
It’s no secret that Pope Francis isn’t a fan of criticism of his papacy. He was asked about his health on a trip to Slovakia following a recent operation.
“Still alive,” the pope replied, “even though some people wanted me to die.”
He then spoke out against critical Catholic media. Senior editor Clemente Lisi writes on the pope’s remarks and the responses of various Catholic media outlets.
In other Pope Francis news, Timothy Nerozzi writes about an anecdote the pope shared about offering a Jewish woman the Eucharist. Despite the act breaking canon law, he called the incident an “act of God.”
See you next week!
Pope Francis Lashes Out At His Critics In The Catholic Press, Calls It 'Work Of The Devil'
Pope Francis: 'Lord Wanted To Reward' Jewish Woman Who Took Eucharist by Timothy Nerozzi
Pope Francis told the media aboard his papal plane that he has never denied Holy Communion to anyone and that he once gave the Eucharist to a Jewish woman in a nursing home. In Catholic Church law, only confirmed Catholics in good standing may receive Communion. But the pope found the encounter to be a positive mishap.
USCCB Report And The National Press Apathy Towards Church Vandalism Trend by Clemente Lisi
(ANALYSIS) Journalists at local outlets and religious publications understand the need to cover such incidents. It’s only when there is a trend that national news organizations choose to ignore it.
Christian Organization Predisan Provides Preaching, Healing In Honduras by Erik Tryggestad
Christian organization Predisan offers health care and pastoral services through its ministry in Honduras, a Central American nation of 9.7 million people that has reported nearly 345,000 infections and 9,050 deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
‘Muhammad Ali’ On PBS Shows Impacts Of Boxer’s Muslim Faith by Jillian Cheney
(REVIEW) A new Ken Burns documentary on PBS tells the story of the world’s greatest heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali, including his friendship with Malcolm X and faith journey to Nation of Islam and then Sunni Islam.
Violence In Montenegro Shows Persisting Division In Balkans And Orthodoxy by Mladen Aleksic
(ANALYSIS) In Montenegro, both the Serbian and Montenegrin Orthodox churches claim the rights to use Orthodox religious sites. But the Montenegrin Orthodox Church is not recognized by any other Orthodox church, and the conflict hits at questions over national identity, church-state relations and even U.S.-Russia relations.
American Christian Ministry Delivers Desperately Needed Surgeries In Honduras by Audrey Jackson
A team of surgeons from Atlanta has returned to Honduras — brought in by the Christian organization Predisan Health Ministries — to provide treatment to people who can’t afford to go to the Central American country’s private clinics. Some of those people have been waiting decades for an operation.
How Social Media — Aided By Bots — Amplifies Islamophobia Online by Saif Shahin
(ANALYSIS) Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, stereotypes that associate Muslims with terrorism go far beyond depictions in newspapers and television. Recent research raises the alarm about rampant Islamophobia in digital spaces, particularly far-right groups’ use of disinformation and other manipulation tactics to vilify Muslims and their faith.
Who Are The Hazara Of Afghanistan? An Expert On Islam Explains by Iqbal Akhtar
(ANALYSIS) The land we now call Afghanistan has been a place of constant migration through its mountainous passes. Its linguistic, cultural and religious diversity is a result of millennia of trade along the Silk Road. Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban means that some minorities are again at heightened risk of persecution.
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Turkey’s Armenian Christian Minority Is Safeguarding Ancient Liturgy by Dr. Christopher Sheklian
(ANALYSIS) For the Armenian religious minority in Istanbul, a practice based on ancient tradition serves as a strategy of visibility, a cry and demand, a claim to the minority right to the city for a people scattered and decimated by genocide more than 100 years ago.
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