Nicaraguan academic and political activist Felix Maradiaga speaks during an interview with AFP in Managua on Feb. 11, 2021. / Credit: STR/AFP via Getty ImagesACI Prensa Staff, Jun 13, 2023 / 15:15 pm (CNA).A Nicaraguan court on June 9 announced the "freezing and forfeiture" of all real estate and of all shares of commercial companies belonging to the 222 political prisoners who were deported to the U.S. in February.The ruling by Criminal Chamber 1 of the Court of Appeals based in Managua, dated May 19, points out that the former prisoners were declared "traitors to the homeland" and therefore exiled from the country and stripped of their citizenship."This theft is another serious violation of fundamental human rights, since private property is a constitutional right and a basic legal guarantee recorded in multiple international agreements signed by Nicaragua," said former Nicaraguan presidential candidate Félix Maradiaga in a message shared with ACI Prens
Pro Vita & Famiglia (Pro Life & Family) headquarters in Rome was vandalized June 10, 2023. / Credit: Pro Vita & FamigliaACI Prensa Staff, Jun 13, 2023 / 14:15 pm (CNA).The Italian association Pro Vita & Famiglia (Pro Life and Family) denounced an attack on its office in Rome after being called "bastards" by the leader of the LGBT Pride demonstration in Italy, Mario Colamarino.On Saturday, June 10, the demonstration in Rome passed in front of the association s office, where, according to its president, Jacopo Coghe, participants voiced insults and committed acts of "verbal violence."This incident, along with statements by the leader of the LGBT lobby in Italy, have been the breeding ground for "a climate of hate" that materialized in the attack on the office of Pro Vita & Famiglia on Monday, June 12, according to Coghe.The office s security gate was covered with messages such as "abortion on demand," "fascists should be ha
Archbishop-elect José Cobo of Madrid, Spain. / Credit: Archdiocese of MadridACI Prensa Staff, Jun 12, 2023 / 16:30 pm (CNA).After his appointment as archbishop of Madrid became official, José Cobo said he sees a need to "reposition the Church" in a changing society.Cobo s appointment as the new archbishop to replace retired Cardinal Carlos Osoro was made official June 12. He has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Madrid since 2018.Asked at a press conference what he can contribute going forward as one of the youngest prelates of the Spanish episcopate, Cobo said: "We can bring the capacity or the desire to reposition the Church within our world. Perhaps in different ways, with other languages."The newly appointed archbishop said that it is not a question of "abandoning the parameters of what has already been done, nor of what it means to be a bishop, because this will never change" but rather of "providing a vision of new chal
Null / Credit: UnsplashACI Prensa Staff, Jun 12, 2023 / 17:00 pm (CNA).The Archdiocese of Madrid held an event on Saturday featuring testimonies "of Christian fathers and mothers with LGTBI children organized by CRISMHOM [Homosexual Christian Men and Women of Madrid] families." The announcement of the second edition of the event, on the archdiocese s website and on social media, sparked controversy on Twitter.The June 10 event at St. Francis of Assisi Parish was announced with the rainbow-colored theme "The Church is already diverse. Open your eyes and your heart!"The program included an introduction and welcome, testimonies from LGBTI families, news, a colloquium, and a final prayer.The event was organized by Homosexual Christian Men and Women of Madrid (CRISMHOM), which describes itself as a "nonprofit and public benefit association, Christian, lesbian, gay, transsexual, bisexual, and heterosexual." This association is part of the FELGTB (Spanish Fe
Null / ivanko80/ShutterstockWashington D.C., Jun 9, 2023 / 14:40 pm (CNA).The Maryland Board of Public Works approved nearly $1.3 million in emergency spending to pay for a stockpile of two abortion drugs in response to a lawsuit that could take one of the drugs off the market.Most of the spending will support two contracts to purchase 30,000 doses of mifepristone, which can kill an unborn child up to 10 weeks gestation. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine challenged the Food and Drug Administration s 2000 approval of the drug and subsequent deregulation in court, claiming that the agency failed to follow proper protocol and ignored potential health risks. A Texas judge suspended the FDA s approval of the drug, but the agency appealed the ruling. The Supreme Court ruled that the drug will remain on the market, pending the outcome of the appeal.Just over $10,000 of Maryland s emergency funding plan will support one contract to purchase 5,000 doses of misoprostol, which is commonl.