RELIGION - The African Mirror

Jun

2021

Pope rejects cardinal’s resignation, says abuse scandal “a catastrophe”

PHILIP PULLELLA and THOMAS ESCRITT POPE Francis has rejected German Cardinal Reinhard Marx's resignation as archbishop of Munich over the Church's sexual abuse crisis, saying he agreed that it was a worldwide "catastrophe" but that the prelate should stay on. Marx, one of Roman Catholicism's most influential liberal figures, offered to resign earlier this month, saying he had to share institutional responsibility for sexual abuse by clerics over past decades. In a letter to Marx written on Thursday and released by the Vatican, Francis said he understood the motivation behind Marx's offer to resign, but would not accept it. "That…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Scientology Volunteer Ministers sterling role during the Cape Town runaway fires

RELIGION

WHEN runaway wildfires hit Table Mountain and the city of Cape Town recently, destroying property and displacing thousands of people, many volunteers answered the call to assist with major humanitarian exercise that followed. So did ministers from the Church of Scientology. A team from the Scientology Volunteer Ministers (SVM) battled thick smoke and unbearable heat, working side by side for hours with firefighters to extinguish the fire. Other members of the SVM brought much-needed supplies to university students' displacement sites, trauma counselling to firefighters and more to assist. The fires caused extensive damage to the University of Cape Town, which…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

German archbishop offers to resign over Church’s sexual abuse ‘catastrophe’

RELIGION

THOMAS ESCRITT and PHILIP PULLELLA ONE of Roman Catholicism's most influential liberal figures, Germany's Cardinal Reinhard Marx, has offered to resign as archbishop of Munich, saying he had to share responsibility for the "catastrophe" of sexual abuse by clerics over past decades. His offer, which Pope Francis has yet to accept, follows an uproar among the German faithful over abuse. Last week, the pope sent two senior foreign bishops to investigate the Archdiocese of Cologne, Germany's largest, over its handling of abuse cases. "I have to share responsibility for the catastrophe of sexual abuse by officials of the Church over…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Faith in numbers: Is church attendance linked to higher rates of coronavirus?

RELIGION

THE lockdowns that almost every state went into in order to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020 interrupted nearly every aspect of Americans’ lives. Businesses were shuttered, schools closed and social groups stopped meeting as scientists rushed to understand the pathways through which the virus spread. RYAN BURGE, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Eastern Illinois University One of the most controversial parts of the lockdown strategy in the United States was the closure of churches across the country. But as an analyst of religious data, I believe the latest evidence appears to point to the clear…