News/International

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has welcomed a groundbreaking deal reached between the Colombian government and rebels that promises to end more than 50 years of violent conflict.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – A church dedicated to carrying out acts of mercy can help heal countries in the Americas torn by war, economic struggles and cultural and political divisions, Quebec Cardinal Gerald Lacroix said at the conclusion of a regional gathering of church leaders in Colombia.

NAIROBI, Kenya – As Turkish authorities push for the closure of African schools affiliated with Imam Fethullah Gulen — accused of masterminding this summer’s coup attempt in Turkey — some caution that the crackdown could inadvertently benefit Islamic fundamentalists on the continent.

OTTAWA – Founded in the United States more than a century ago to battle the “evils of alcohol,” the World Women’s Christian Temperance Union has grown into a world-wide organization confronting 21st-century social ills that include everything from drug addiction to Internet pornography and human trafficking.

HALIFAX – The Catholic Women’s League of Canada is calling on its members to pressure politicians to guarantee freedom-of-conscience protection for healthcare institutions and medical practioners who refuse to participate directly or indirectly in providing assisted dying.

JACKSON, Miss. – The deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill demand justice, but not revenge, Franciscan Father Greg Plata said during a memorial Mass for the women religious in the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – While most expatriate aid workers left South Sudan after a brutal attack on foreigners in the capital, a group of Catholic missionaries chose to stay.

ROME – A man imprisoned for killing an Italian Catholic priest in Turkey was released after serving almost half of his 18-year sentence.

MANILA, Philippines – A Catholic bishop in the southern Philippines is backing a military campaign against Abu Sayyaf militants, who claim to have links with the Islamic State group.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A California judge ruled Aug. 26 that he will not put the state's new assisted-suicide law on hold while a group of doctors are challenging it, but he also ruled that their challenge could continue.