The reliquary of St Padre Pio has been attacked in an apparent attempt to steal it.

The reliquary, housed in an altar at the cemetery church at San Giovanni Rotondo, was targeted late last Sunday when someone tried to break through the reinforced glass protecting it and the hair, wrappings and gloves associated with the saint. The unidentified attacker was, however, unable to get past the glass case.

The Capuchins of San Giovanni Rotondo have been quick to state the belief that the thief was most likely after the gold inlay of the reliquary itself as opposed to any desire to commit an act of sacrilege against the relics. However, it is clear that were it not for the strength of the glass case, the relics may well have been lost forever.

Though no-one has yet been linked to the crime at Rotondo, police have launched a full investigation.

Italy

Catholic 'collapse'

Catholic adherence and identification among the young in Italy are ''in collapse'' according to a new study.

In the study undertaken by Professor Paolo Segatti of the University of Milan, it has been revealed that, especially among those born after 1981, traditional adherence is steadily declining.

Speaking about his findings in a recent interview, Prof. Segatti said: ''The youngest Italians are the ones to whom religious experience is most foreign. They clearly go to church less, believe in God less, pray less, trust the Church less, identify themselves as Catholic less, and say that being Italian does not mean being Catholic.''

Prof. Segatti's study is bound to be of concern to the Vatican given the previous strength of devotion on what can be seen as the 'heartland' of Catholicism.

Comparing young people's outlook on Catholicism to previous strong adherence, Prof. Segatti said: ''It's like looking at a different world''.

Professor Segatti's study is available in Italian at: www.ilregno.it

Spain

Benedict statue

A statue of Pope Benedict will be placed on the famed pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in time for the Pontiff's November 6 visit, it has been announced. The structure is planned to rise to seven feet in height, cast in bronze, and will overlook one of the entry points to the city that houses the relics of St James. Still celebrating 2010 as a jubilee year - when the saint's feast day of July 25 falls on a Sunday - latest figures reveal that July alone accounted for 42,000 pilgrims taking one of the many pilgrim routes to Santiago.

Poland

Cross row

Moves to remove a crucifix from a position outside the presidential residence in Warsaw have been met with heated protests.

Several arrests were made when police moved in to hold back people angered by orders from President-elect Bronislaw Komorowski to remove the cross. It had originally been erected to mark the death in a plane crash last April of President Lech Kaczynski.

While it had been planned to move the cross to a nearby Catholic church, supporters of the late president acted successfully to prevent the transfer. The cross has become the focus of debates within Poland of the influence of the Church in the country.

India

Interfaith learning

Christians, Muslims and Hindus in the state of West Bengal have engaged in a 'Bible workshop' in order that the communities may get to know each other better.

According to organisers, no formal invitation is issued to participants. Rather, word-of-mouth allows for people to decide for themselves to become involved in the initiative.

Over time, it is hoped, the project will foster good relations between communities while making Christian participants stronger witnesses to the message of the Bible.

US/Canada

Teresa honour

A bridge linking the United States with Canada is to blaze with light this August 26 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Mother Teresa.

Authorities controlling the Peace bridge, which crosses the Niagara river between Fort Erie on the Canadian side and Buffalo, New York, agreed to the lighting following a joint approach by American Bishop Edward Kmiec and Msgr Wayne Kirkpatrick, administrator of the Diocese of St Catharines in Canada.

United States

Tech-savvy diocese

The official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston has taken a leap into the 21st Century with editions now available both on the Amazon Kindle reader and as an iPhone application.

From August 6, The Pilot began its reach beyond the traditional printed word, with plans already afoot to bring the newspaper to other commonly owned devices such as the BlackBerry device. In striking a deal with the Amazon Kindle, The Pilot has become the first Catholic publication to be offered as an electronic, or 'e-edition', via that route.

Same-sex marriage

The Catholic Bishops' Conference has criticised the recent legal ruling in California allowing for same-sex unions.

Stating that marriage stands as ''the bedrock of any society'', the bishops added: ''The misuse of law to change the nature of marriage undermines the common good. It is tragic that a federal judge would overturn the clear and expressed will of the people in their support for the institution of marriage. No court of civil law has the authority to reach into areas of human experience that nature itself has defined.''

The ''will of the people'' is a reference to a vote by Californian citizens in 2008, known as Proposition 8, which resulted in a 52 to 48 per cent desire to see marriage defined as purely that between a man and a woman.

An appeal against the August 4 ruling in favour of gay marriage has been lodged with the courts in California.

Mexico

Drugs debate

Two cardinals have backed a proposal to hold an open debate on the legalising of drugs.

While not offering support for actual legalising, Cardinals Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City and Juan Sandoval Iniguez of Guadalajara said Mexico could learn much through such a debate, and backed President Felipe Calderon's suggestion for an open discussion.

''There must be a lot of thought, a lot of study. It's not easy,'' said Cardinal Sandoval.

The idea of a debate on the drugs issue comes as Mexico continues to be wracked by unprecedented levels of violence as drugs cartels fight for their position against a drive by Mr Calderon to defeat the scourge of drugs. Last year alone, 6,500 people were killed in murders directly linked to the drugs trade, while 2,000 people have died so far this year.

Same-sex marriage

Dioceses in the country have condemned a Supreme Court ruling upholding a law allowing for same-sex marriage. Despite a constitutional challenge to the law, judges ruled 8-2 in favour of maintaining the defence of gay unions. They argued that the law promoted equality and pointed to a lack of definition for 'the family' in the Mexican constitution.

North Korea

Cracking down on religious freedom

The regime of Kim Jong-il is reportedly cracking down on religious worship as people turn to faith in the face of a crippling economic crisis.

According to the Asianews agency, the latests example of the crackdown came in May when authorities raided a gathering of Christians in Pyongan Province. All were arrested, and three were later executed as ''ringleaders''. The remainder were sent to a labour camp. The punishments, sources told Asianews, are meant to deter others from worshipping.

North Korea denies freedom of religion. Officially, the country has three Christian places of worship (one Catholic and two Protestant churches) and four Buddhist temples, but only in the capital Pyongyang.

Indonesia

Christians attacked

Muslim extremists have attacked Christians attempting to gather for prayer in the country.

The attack took place last Sunday in the town of Bekasi when an 800-strong mob attacked the open-air gathering, which was taking place because local authorities had already removed the Christians' building permit for their church. Muslims were enraged because, they argued, the Christians did not have a permit for their open-air gathering either.

Local police blamed the Christians for the outbreak of violence, stating they had ''forced the issue'' by insisting on meeting together.