News/International

Fireworks light up the sky at the stadium during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Summer Olympics July 23, 2021.

Pope Francis: May Olympic Games be sign of hope during pandemic

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VATICAN CITY -- As thousands of athletes gathered for the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Pope Francis gave them his blessing and extended it to those organizing and supporting the events.

A man types on a computer keyboard in this illustration photo.

Report that led to priest's resignation prompts journalism ethics questions

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High-tech data collection and cellphone tracking services allegedly used in a report by The Pillar that triggered the resignation of a high-ranking U.S. Catholic official July 20 has sparked a fresh discussion about journalism ethics.

Iraqi security forces inspect the site of a suicide bombing in Baghdad July 19, 2021. Pope Francis expressed his condolences after the bombing, which occurred in a busy market and claimed dozens of lives.

Pope Francis 'deeply saddened' by Baghdad market bombing

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VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis expressed his condolences after a suicide bombing in a busy market in Baghdad claimed the lives of dozens of people.

Police detain a person during protests in Havana July 11, 2021. Thousands of Cubans took to the streets to protest a lack of food and medicine as the country undergoes a grave economic crisis aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and U.S. sanctions.

Religious leaders in Cuba voice support for peaceful protests

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HAVANA -- The Conference of Catholic Religious in Cuba representing men and women religious in the Caribbean nation is supporting the "legitimate and universal right" of Cubans to express grievances with the government in an "orderly and peaceful way in public."

A woman prays inside the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.

Study finds 221,000 Catholics left the church in Germany during pandemic

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BONN, Germany -- In the coronavirus year 2020, fewer Christians left the church in Germany than in previous years, two church organizations reported on Wednesday.

People hold a banner during a prayer service for Jesuit Fr. Stan Swamy in Mumbai, India, July 6 after he died at a hospital the previous day.

Fr. Stan Swamy led fight for the oppressed

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THRISSUR, India -- Jesuit Fr. Stan Swamy, jailed on dubious terrorism charges since October, died July 5 at Holy Family Hospital in Mumbai. He was 84.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pictured in a March 12, 2021, photo. Syro-Malabar Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara of Faridabad, India, has urged Modi to facilitate the rebuilding of a church demolished by government officials in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

Syro-Malabar leaders seek answers regarding demolition of Indian church

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THRISSUR, India -- Syro-Malabar Bishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara of Faridabad, India, urged India's prime minister to facilitate rebuilding of a church demolished by local government officials in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

A member of the Maronite Scouts is pictured in an undated photo helping cleanup following an Aug. 4, 2020, blast in Beirut's port area.

Nearly a year after Beirut blast, Maronite leaders still helping residents

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BEIRUT -- In a flash, people's lives were forever changed shortly after 6 p.m. Aug. 4. And from the moment after the blast, the driving concern for Maronite Catholic Archbishop Paul Abdel Sater was to be beside the people of his archdiocese in their suffering and to keep them in their homes.

A Dominican soldier stands guard at the shared border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti in Dajabon, Dominican Republic, July 8, 2021. The border was closed following the July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Pope Francis, bishops call for calm, dialogue after Haitian president killed

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VATICAN CITY -- Condemning the "heinous assassination" of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, Pope Francis urged the people of Haiti to shun violence and make a commitment to dialogue and solidarity as the path to a better future.

An aerial view shows a partially collapsed building in Surfside, Fla., just north of Miami Beach.

Catholic agency responds to tragedy at Florida condo towers

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MIAMI BEACH -- Staff members with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami were on location and developing a response strategy June 24 near the stunning wreckage of a partially collapsed beachfront high-rise apartment building.

Software engineering students Marial Basil, 20, and Marian Abedrabbo, 20, pose with accounting student Francis Rahil, 19, at Bethlehem University in the West Bank, June 9, 2021.

Bethlehem looks to expand economy beyond tourism

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BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Graduating in July as part of Bethlehem University’s first software engineering class, students Marianna Bannoura, Oriana Sabat and Mariam Qumsieh already have a market-ready app under their belts.

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