News/International

Father Gerald Matolo, the priest who first received Fr. Michael Maingi Kyengo at the Thatha Parish is seen in this 2017 file photo. Father Matolo said Father Kyengo may have been targeted by someone who thought he had money.

Catholic priest murdered in Kenya, latest in string of killings

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NAIROBI, Kenya -- A Catholic priest who disappeared from his family home was found dead in a shallow grave in southeastern Kenya a week after he was reported missing.

Smoke rises over the Syrian city of Ras al Ain Oct. 16, 2019, as seen from the Turkish border city of Ceylanpinar. Humanitarian concerns are growing as people caught in the crosshairs of the Turkish incursion into northeastern Syria try to flee for safety, and groups are scrambling to aid them.

Humanitarian groups scramble to help people fleeing northeast Syria

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AMMAN, Jordan -- Humanitarian concerns are growing as people caught in the crosshairs of the Turkish incursion into northeastern Syria try to flee for safety, and groups are scrambling to aid them.

A pro-life message is seen formed in the sky by a plane above Sydney Harbor Aug. 18, 2019.

Australia to amend religious freedom bills to consider health facilities

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SYDNEY -- The Australian government said it will make changes to religious freedom legislation concerning religious hospitals and aged-care facilities, after the Catholic Church pushed for changes to a recently released draft legislation package.

A man sprays water at the site of a car bomb blast in Qamishli, Syria, Oct. 11, 2019. Church bells have been ringing in Qamishli and elsewhere in northeastern Syria, signaling the alarm to Christians and others of the ongoing Turkish military operation having a devastating humanitarian impact on civilians.

Caritas works to help Syrians displaced by Turkish bombings

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AMMAN, Jordan -- Church bells have been ringing in Qamishli and elsewhere in northeastern Syria, signaling the alarm to Christians and others of the ongoing Turkish military operation that is having a devastating humanitarian impact on civilians.

Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighters raise the Syrian opposition flag at the border town of Tel Abyad, Syria, Oct. 14, 2019.

Syriac Catholic patriarch pleads for peace in northeastern Syria

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ROME -- The patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church pleaded for "immediate and lasting peace in northeastern Syria and the preservation of innocent lives, especially for Christians, who are the original and founding component of Syria."

Indigenous people react during protests against Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno's austerity measures in Quito, Ecuador, Oct.11, 2019. Ecuadorian observers at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon at the Vatican are keeping an eye on massive protests that have claimed the lives of at least five people in their country.

Ecuador's president rolls back austerity measures that triggered protests

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ROME -- Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno met with indigenous leaders and agreed to roll back austerity measures that had sparked 10 days of protests.

Pope Francis, tweeting about the new saints he recognized Oct. 13, inadvertently used a hashtag connected to the New Orleans Saints football team. But fans appreciated it, as did the team.

Papal tweet of support for 'Saints' goes viral

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VATICAN CITY -- A hashtag mix-up caused a papal tweet meant to give thanks for the Catholic Church's newest saints to be read as Pope Francis showing support for the New Orleans Saints' football team.

Members of Syrian National Army, known as the Free Syrian Army, react as they drive on top of an armored vehicle Oct. 11, 2019, in the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar. Dozens of advocacy organizations participating in the International Religious Freedom Roundtable called on U.S. President Donald Trump "not to abandon Christians, Yazidis and Kurds" in the Syrian border region that Turkey is bombing.

Advocates implore Trump not to abandon Christians, Yazidis, Kurds in Syria

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AMMAN, Jordan -- Christians concerned with religious freedom violations resulting from the Turkish military offensive on northeastern Syria are urging U.S. President Donald Trump to "reconsider and reverse" his Oct. 6 decision to move American troops out of the way of a Turkish incursion.

In a Sept. 16, 2019, photo, the building of Dr. Ulrich Klopfer's abortion business is seen in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind. Pro-life supporters there are asking for a search warrant to determine if more fetal remains will be found in the building. The Illinois physician died Sept. 3, 2019, and the remains of fetuses he took from the now-shuttered Indiana clinic were found in his home.

More fetal remains found in connection with Indiana abortionist

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill released new details Oct. 9 about the discovery of additional fetal remains in Illinois that are believed to be linked with abortions performed in Indiana.

Activists and supporters block the street outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington Oct. 8, 2019, as it hears arguments in three major employment discrimination cases on whether federal civil rights law prohibiting workplace discrimination on the "basis of sex" covers gay and transgender employees.

U.S. Supreme Court divided over protections for LGBT employees

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WASHINGTON -- On the second day of the Supreme Court's new term, a divided court Oct. 8 heard oral arguments from three cases concerning protections for gay, lesbian and transgender employees under Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts.

A Turkish milItary convoy is pictured in Kilis near the Turkish-Syrian border Oct. 9, 2019. Turkish warplanes have begun attacking northeastern Syria, causing widespread panic among Christian and other religious communities caught up in the aerial bombardments.

Turkish planes bomb Syria, causing panic among Christians, others

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AMMAN, Jordan -- Turkish warplanes have begun attacking northeastern Syria, causing widespread panic among Christian and other religious communities caught up in the aerial bombardments.

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