News/International

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi, Georgia, Oct. 1.

Unity and division: Ecumenical realities on display at papal Mass in Georgia

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TBILISI, Georgia – At a papal Mass focused on two female saints, the longing for Christian unity and the painful reality of Christian division were strong undertones.

Pope Francis and Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia arrive for a meeting at the patriarchal palace in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sept. 30.

Pope, Georgian patriarch pledge to witness to Gospel as brothers

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TBILISI, Georgia – Paying honor to the steadfast faith of Orthodox Christians in Georgia, Pope Francis nevertheless urged them to draw closer to other Christians and work together to share the Gospel.

Pope Francis releases a dove after a meeting with Chaldean Catholics at the Church of St. Simon the Tanner in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sept. 30.

With Chaldean Catholics, Pope prays for peace in Syria, Iraq

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TBILISI, Georgia – At a brief prayer service with Chaldean Catholics in Georgia, Pope Francis pleaded with God to grant peace to persecuted Christians and the victims of war, especially in Syria and Iraq.

Pope Francis attends a meeting at the Georgian presidential palace in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sept. 30. The Pope, on his first day in the Caucasus region, urged dialogue between Georgia and Russia to end territorial stalemate.

Pope urges dialogue to end Georgian-Russian territorial stalemate

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TBILISI, Georgia – Subtly acknowledging Georgia's ongoing territorial dispute with Russia, Pope Francis urged greater efforts to sow peace throughout the Caucasus region.

U.S. Presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton greet each other at the start of their first presidential debate Sept. 27. A dozen U.S. conservative evangelicals and Catholics posted an open letter that same day criticizing the “liberal political agenda,” which specifically named Clinton.

Conservative U.S. Christians criticize progressives’ ‘destructive’ agenda

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Dozens of U.S. conservative evangelicals and Catholics have signed an open letter urging their progressive counterparts to “repent of their work that often advances a destructive liberal political agenda.”

A U.N. Security Council meeting in 2009. The Council is calling attention to a two-decade treaty that would ban nuclear weapons testing, which has not yet gone into effect.

U.N. vote on nuclear-test ban spurs hopes that nations will ratify treaty

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WASHINGTON – The U.N. Security Council has brought new attention to a 20-year-old treaty that would ban nuclear weapons testing, but still has not gone into effect.

People walk amid rubble Sept. 19 in the city of Homs, Syria. Chaldean Catholic bishops at their annual synod calls for peace in the Middle East and the liberation of Islamic State controlled areas.

Chaldean Catholic bishops call for peace in Iraq, Syria

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IRBIL, Iraq – Chaldean Catholic bishops, meeting for their annual synod, pleaded for peace in the Middle East and for the liberation of areas seized by the Islamic State group so that the displaced can return to their homes.

A man and his daughter overlook a neighbourhood in Caracas, Venezuela, March 25. Venezuela's opposition party hopes Pope Francis will media discussions with the government to find a solution to the country's deepening economic crisis.

Venezuela's opposition asks Pope to mediate dialogue with government

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VATICAN CITY – Venezuela's opposition party pleaded with Pope Francis to mediate discussions with President Nicolas Maduro's government to find a solution to the current crisis that has left most of the country without food or basic necessities.

Civil Defence members search for survivors Sept. 27 at a site hit by an airstrike in the rebel-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria. Pope Francis said Sept. 29 that logic of weapons and hidden interests continues to devastate Middle Eastern countries in conflict.

Logic of weapons, self-interest wreak havoc on Mideast, Pope says

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VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis said he will never give up calling for stronger efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and for people to stop being indifferent to the fate of the region's people.

Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez speaks at a conference in Chicago Aug. 19. The California Catholic bishops are urging voters to support banning the death penalty the November ballot.

California, New Mexico bishops urge opposition to death penalty measures

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LOS ANGELES – The California Catholic bishops are urging voters to support a November ballot initiative that would outlaw the death penalty.

Pope Francis delivers his homily during Mass Sept. 27 at the Vatican. The Pope said in his weekly general audience Sept. 28 that Syrian aggressors will be “accountable to God.”

Pope Francis warns Syria aggressors they will face divine wrath

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VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis said those bombing civilians in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo will be “accountable to God” for their actions as he renewed his appeals for peace amid an intensifying civil war in that country.

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