News/International

Activists dressed in orange jumpsuits representing detainees in the U.S.-run detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, rally in front of the White House Jan. 11 asking President Barack Obama to close the facility and release or charge the dozens of men being held there.

Plan to close Guantanamo leaves unanswered questions for advocates

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WASHINGTON - As U.S. President Barack Obama offered a long-awaited plan to close the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, organizations advocating for the closure welcomed the news and called for an end of the policy of holding remaining detainees without charges.

Flowers are placed at a makeshift memorial Feb. 22 near the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Kalamazoo, Mich., where one person died in a random shooting. Five other people also were killed and two others were wounded during the Feb. 20 shootings.

Bishop Bradley decries shootings in Kalamazoo, Michigan, prays for victims

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KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Expressing shock and sadness, Bishop Paul J. Bradley of Kalamazoo offered prayers for the six people who were killed and two others who were injured by a gunman in the western Michigan city.

Sister Porferia Ocariza, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, holds a book on the People Power uprising in the Philippines 30 years ago to oust dictator Ferdinand Marcos. She is still recognized today for her stunned expression, left image, as military tanks approached.

Philippine nuns, priests say role in revolution affected their faith

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MANILA, Philippines - Religious and clergy in the Philippines say their experiences in the People Power Revolution 30 years ago have had a lasting impact on their faith and vocations.

Australian Cardinal George Pell is seen in this Oct. 6, 2014 file photo at the Vatican. The Australian cardinal called for an inquiry into the leaking of accusations that he is under police investigation for the alleged abuse of minors.

Cardinal Pell calls for inquiry into press leaks accusing him of abuse

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VATICAN CITY - Australian Cardinal George Pell called for an inquiry into the leaking of accusations that he is under police investigation for the alleged abuse of minors.

Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church

Head of Ukrainian Catholic Church skeptical of papal-Orthodox declaration

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WASHINGTON  - The joint declaration signed Feb. 12 in Cuba between Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has met with a tepid reaction from Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Pope Francis answers questions from journalists aboard his flight from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to Rome Feb. 17.

Building walls to keep immigrants out is not Christian, Pope says

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ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM MEXICO - As the plane carrying him back to Rome from Mexico was flying over Texas, Pope Francis insisted building walls to keep immigrants out of one's country is un-Christian.

A man takes a photo of a life-size cutout of Pope Francis at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, Feb. 17. Thousands filled the stadium to watch Pope Francis celebrate Mass in nearby Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. It was simulcast on the stadium's big screen.

Slow day at Sun Bowl turns into party, then settles down for Mass viewing

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EL PASO, Texas - By the time the action started at the Sun Bowl Stadium Feb. 17 for the simulcast of Pope Francis' Mass from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, scarcely a few hundred people had arrived.

Pope Francis answers questions from journalists aboard his flight from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to Rome Feb. 17.

In Zika outbreak, contraceptives may be 'lesser evil,' Pope says

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ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM MEXICO - With physicians across Central and South American urging women to postpone pregnancy because of the Zika virus that causes birth defects, Pope Francis said using contraceptives could be a "lesser evil."

Pope Francis arrives in procession to celebrate Mass at the fairgrounds in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Feb. 17.

‘No more death, no more exploitation,’ Pope says at U.S.-Mexico border

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CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - Speaking from the symbolic platform of the U.S.-Mexico border, Pope Francis pleaded for the plight of immigrants while warning those refusing to offer safe shelter and passage that their actions and inhospitable attitudes were bringing about dishonor and self-destruction as their hearts hardened and they "lost their sensitivity to pain."

Pope Francis prays at a cross on the border with El Paso, Texas, before celebrating Mass at the fairgrounds in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Feb. 17.

In silence, Pope remembers migrants who cross Mexican-U.S. border

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CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - At the border of Mexico and the United States, Pope Francis blessed a large cross in memory of all the people who have crossed the frontier.

Pope Francis accepts a gift during a meeting with workers and employers at the Colegio de Bachilleres of the Mexican state of Chihuahua in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Feb. 17

Stop slavery; negotiate wages, working conditions, Pope urges Mexicans

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CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - God will hold humanity responsible for enslaving the poor and treating people as less important than profits, Pope Francis told Mexican workers and business leaders.

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