A staggering 45 per cent of people in the Netherlands are unaware that Easter is a Christian holiday, and only 15 per cent know that Good Friday is a memorial of Christ's crucifixion, according to a recent survey which showed the extent to which secularism has overtaken the country.

Cardinal on abortion and condoms

In an interview with the Canadian daily Le Devoir, Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte of Montreal said Brazilian Church leaders had been "clumsy" in their public comments about the case of a nine-year old girl who committed abortion after being repeatedly raped by her father. He argued that a more pastoral approach was necessary. "Personally, I am against abortion," he said, "but I can understand that in some cases, one almost has no other choice."

The Canadian cardinal said that in his highly publicised remarks on condoms and Aids, Pope Benedict XVI had not intended to say that condom use was always wrong. What the Pope really meant, the cardinal said, is that "condoms are not by themselves the perfect solution". Cardinal Turcotte went on to say that in fact, condom use is morally obligatory for someone infected with Aids.

Former bishop fathered child

The revelation that Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, a former Catholic bishop, fathered a child before being laicised has damaged the Church's image, the country's Catholic bishops said.

Bishop Ignacio Gogorza Izaguirre of Encarnacion called the news "a blow against our Church". In a statement issued after Lugo admitted having a son who is nearly two years old, the bishops asked for "forgiveness for the sins of the members of the Church, both pastors and the faithful", and called on Catholics "and people of good will to pray for us to keep us faithful to our mission as priests and bishops".