Here is a roundup of Catholic world news you might have missed this week:
Catholic bishops’ conferences around the world call for end to Iran war
Catholic bishops in Europe and Asia are calling for de-escalation of the Iran war as the conflict broadens across the Middle East.
“No political leader has the authority to unleash war at will,” the Irish bishops said in a March 4 statement.
The Australian bishops’ conference said in a statement: “The loss of life and the fear and uncertainty experienced by ordinary people and the destabilization of an already fragile region weigh heavily on our hearts.”
The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences joined in, calling for “immediate cessation of hostilities and for all parties to exercise moral responsibility, resisting the spiral of escalation that leads only to deeper suffering and irreversible loss.”
Indonesian court convicts 7 tribal men over death threats to priest
The Sikka District Court in Indonesia has sentenced seven members of the Goban Runut and Soge Natarmage communities to six months in prison for threatening to murder a Catholic priest.
The March 4 conviction comes after Father Aloysius Ndate said in March 2025 that he had been threatened by 15 men in December 2023 while he was serving as leader of a local mission station, according to a UCA News report on Thursday. The threats were made in relation to land dispute between tribal groups and the Diocese of Maumere.
Iraqi Christian woman arrested for sharing video related to Iran war
An Iraqi Christian woman, Rana Hikmat Korkis, 46, has been detained in Baghdad over a widely shared video that security officials described as “offensive” and potentially inflammatory.
According to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Korkis was detained on March 2 and transferred to al-Saadoun police station, but no detailed judicial statement has yet clarified the final charge. Rights groups and local voices are urging due process and protection of her legal rights, warning against online incitement and the spread of her personal information; one watchdog also alleged she faced mistreatment in custody and called on authorities to ensure her safety.
According to ACI MENA, Korkis appeared in the video clip scattering candy and expressing joy after the announcement of the killing of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.
Sudan bishops call latest attacks ‘fresh descent into the abyss of human depravity’
Catholic bishops in Sudan and South Sudan have condemned the reported killing of at least 170 people in two separate incidents in South Sudan, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported Wednesday.
In a statement issued by members of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference and shared with ACI Africa on March 4, the Church leaders described the attacks as a “fresh descent into the abyss of human depravity” and called for urgent action to end cycles of violence and impunity in the world’s youngest nation.
UN Security Council removes sanctions from militant group founded by Syria’s president
A unanimous U.N. Security Council decision has removed militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) from international sanctions, lifting measures in place since 2014, an outcome that closes one era internationally but stirs fresh anxiety inside Syria, ACI MENA reported Sunday.
The article points to recent tensions in the Christian-majority town of Saydnaya and a string of incidents, from a killing in Homs to a disappearance and other reported attacks, which have intensified fears of insecurity. Amid conflicting social media claims, many Christians were left asking what real protection and belonging will look like as Syria’s new political landscape takes shape.
Angola priest survives attempted murder at parish office
An Angolan Catholic priest narrowly escaped death after a knife-wielding assailant attacked him inside his parish office at St. Joseph Pastoral Center of Angola’s Catholic Archdiocese of Luanda, ACI Africa reported Wednesday.
The incident occurred at about 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 28 at the pastoral center located within the Immaculate Heart of Mary Morro Bento Parish. Father Inácio Kahamba told ACI Africa on Tuesday: “After the morning Mass, the young man entered the office with his mouth covered by a hat. I asked him to identify himself, but he refused. When I invited him to step outside, he closed the door. He then drew a knife and said: ‘Today I will kill you.’” However, after an “intense” struggle, the assailant, Alcides Piluka, was detained, the priest said.
German cathedral defends near 50-foot ‘art installation’ of humpback whale in sanctuary
St. Viktor’s Cathedral in Xanten, a historic German town in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, is defending its decision to house a more than 45-foot cast of a dead humpback whale in its sanctuary, CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Thursday.
Organizers responsible for the installation, titled “The Cast Whale Project,” said the whale fits “aesthetically and dignified into the room,” according to CNA Deutsch. It has been in the cathedral since Feb. 22 and will remain till March 22.
The project is organized by educational institutions sponsored by the Provost Church of St. Viktor, the Youth Ministry Department of the Diocese of Münster, and the Provost community itself. Münster Auxiliary Bishop Rolf Lohmann is a patron of the installation.
