 |
 | |
| Industry | News agency |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | Episcopal Conference of Italy |
| Headquarters | , Italy |
| Website | www |
Agenzia S.I.R., also Agenzia Sir, AgenSir or AgenSIR, is the news agency of the Italian Catholic Church. S.I.R. stands for "Servizio Informazione Religiosa" (Religious Information Service).
The agency was established in 1988 by the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies, with support from the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). [1] Its first weekly publication, dated 13 January 1989, outlined the agency's commitment to providing objective and rigorous religious journalism, avoiding ideological or partisan biases. In line with Catholic journalistic traditions, it seeks to promote understanding of religious matters by highlighting their roots and significance. [2]
Initially a weekly publication, SIR became biweekly in 1990. [2] Adopting new technologies, it began distributing news via email and fax in 1994 and launched its website on 20 September 1995, making it one of Italy's pioneering Catholic web services. The site underwent several updates. [1]
AgenSir provides information not only to media professionals but also to individuals engaged in pastoral, cultural, social, and political responsibilities. Its content encompasses CEI pastoral bodies, Italian dioceses, associations, volunteering, institutional activities, and Church documents. By offering an alternative to secular media's ideological narratives, AgenSir aims to uphold truth and freedom in religious reporting. Its website serves as a central platform for its publications. [3]
In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the loss of clerical state is the removal of a bishop, priest, or deacon from the status of being a member of the clergy.
Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert Schönborn, OP is a Bohemian-born Austrian Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Vienna since 1995. He was previously chairman of the Austrian Bishops' Conference from 1998 to 2020 and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1998. He is a member of the Dominican Order.
The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) is a progressive national newspaper in the United States that reports on issues related to the Catholic Church. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, NCR was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964. Hoyt wanted to bring the professional standards of secular news reporting to the press that covers Catholic news, saying that "if the mayor of a city owned its only newspaper, its citizens will not learn what they need and deserve to know about its affairs". The publication, which operates outside the authority of the Catholic Church, is independently owned and governed by a lay board of directors. The outlet has been repeatedly criticized by bishops for taking positions contrary to Catholic teaching and has been asked to drop the word "Catholic" from its name.
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The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is a pontifical commission within the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church instituted by Pope Francis on 22 March 2014 as an advisory agency serving the pope. Since 5 June 2022, the Commission has been part of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, operating with its officials and according to its norms.
Dr. Sani Ibrahim "Barhoum" Azar is the fourth and current Palestinian Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
The COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020 has significantly impacted liturgical celebrations of the Catholic Church worldwide. The Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) stated that the pandemic has become not "just a medical, social and economic problem, but also a pastoral problem", which led ACN to start encouraging a special program for the actions of priests and religious against the virus spread.
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Gio Talente is an Italian corporate spin doctor and social reputation analyst.
