JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesian Catholics have made a greater-than-usual effort to help Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr this year amid heightened religious tensions in the country, reported ucanews.com.

JUBA, South Sudan – The heads of the member churches of the South Sudan Council of Churches criticized the country's political leaders "on all sides" for placing political and personal interests above the needs or ordinary people, which they said has led to economic decline, famine and ongoing violence.

COTABATO, Philippines – Cardinal Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato has condemned "in the strongest terms possible" the reported desecration of a Catholic chapel by terrorist gunmen in the southern Philippines.

NEW DELHI – Church leaders have expressed solidarity with ethnic Gorkha people who are on an indefinite strike protesting for a separate homeland in the Darjeeling area of eastern India.

QUEBEC CITY – St. John's experience with Jesus "transforms him into a great communicator," said Quebec Cardinal Gerald Lacroix, and he told Catholic media professionals from around the world that the same kind of experience drives their work.

WASHINGTON – The head of the U.S. military archdiocese June 20 expressed sorrow for the lives lost in "the tragic ship collision" involving the USS Fitzgerald off the coast of Japan.

BEIRUT – Bishop Joseph Absi was elected the new Melkite patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem and All the East during the Melkite Catholic Synod at Ain-Traz, Lebanon.

RUTENG, Indonesia – A group of priests in Indonesia's Ruteng Diocese appealed to the Vatican to intervene and resolve a dispute with their bishop, whom they accuse of misappropriating more than $100,000 in church funds.

MANILA, Philippines – Instead of material gifts, a priest and employees of the Archdiocese of Manila gifted Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle with their blood.

BEIRUT – Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai commended Lebanon's political parties for ratifying a new electoral law.