News/International

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., addresses a news conference with fellow congressional Democrats at the U.S. Capitol in Washington Feb. 25, 2021, ahead of expected House passage of the Equality Act. The measure passed in a 224-206 vote.

Equality Act could discriminate against faithful

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The House of Representatives passed the Equality Act in a 224-206 vote Feb. 25.

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne, Germany, is pictured in a Feb. 2, 2021, photo.

Lawyer: New report on abuse in Cologne will incriminate church officials

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COLOGNE, Germany -- The second expert report commissioned to investigate abuse in the Archdiocese of Cologne also incriminates church officials who are still alive and accuses them of mistakes in dealing with cases of sexualized violence, according to its author, Björn Gercke.

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington is seen Nov. 26, 2020.

U.S. Supreme Court lifts ban on indoor worship in California county

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WASHINGTON -- A Supreme Court decision allowing indoor worship services in Santa Clara county, California, was praised by Bishop Oscar Cantú of the Diocese of San Jose, located in the county where the ban had been in effect.

Demonstrators flash the three-finger salute March 1, 2021, during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar.

At least 18 die in Myanmar coup protests

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YANGON, Myanmar -- Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon called for patience and tolerance on a day when at least 18 anti-coup protesters were shot dead by Myanmar security forces. 

A woman walks past a mural of Pope Francis on a wall surrounding a church in Baghdad Feb. 22. Pope Francis plans to visit Iraq March 5-8.

Iraqi Christians continue to hope on Pope Francis' visit

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While pundits in the West wonder whether Pope Francis really will brave out-of-control COVID-19 infections, shootings and bombings to visit Iraq, there’s not much doubt among Iraqis and others who know the Pope’s commitment to Christianity in the Middle East.

Sr. Ortiz: Torture victim to peacemaker

Sr. Ortiz: Torture victim to peacemaker

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CLEVELAND -- Ursuline Sr. Dianna Ortiz was teaching Indigenous children as a missionary in Guatemala in 1989 when her ministry was torn apart in the midst of the country’s brutal civil war.

Demonstrators protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Feb. 22 in defiance of the military, who have warned of further “loss of life” if people answered a call for a general strike opposing its Feb. 1 coup.

Toronto Catholic activist fears for her family caught in Myanmar military coup

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As a general strike swept across Myanmar — three weeks after a Feb. 1 military coup prevented a new, elected government from taking office — a Toronto-based Kachin Catholic activist found herself praying for the safety of her family at home in the Southeast Asian country. 

Colombian Bishop Rubén Darío Jaramillo Montoya of Buenaventura rides atop a fire truck during a protest against growing drug violence Feb. 10. The bishop boarded the fire truck to spray the town’s main street with holy water and help to “cleanse it” of evil.

Bishop ‘cleanses’ Colombian city

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BOGOTA, Colombia -- The bishop of a Colombian city suffering from a deadly spike in drug violence boarded a fire truck to spray the town’s main street with holy water and help to “cleanse it” of evil.

Residents of Cedar Crest Drive in Abilene, Texas, walk past their burning house Feb. 15, 2021, as firefighters fight the blaze. The firefighters were only able to draw water from one hydrant because all three city water treatment plants were offline due to cold weather power outages.

Severe weather prompts emergency response from church leaders as Lent begins

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CLEVELAND -- Below-zero temperatures, teeth-chattering wind chills and deep snow turned the southern Plains into an Arctic landscape, forcing Catholic Charities agencies to adopt emergency measures to get people to safety.

Workers disinfect the interior of a mosque to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as students continue to study in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, Feb. 15. As part of COVID-19 precautions, the Iraqi government has ordered the closure of mosques and churches “until further notice.”

Iraq tightens restrictions ahead of Pope’s visit

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VATICAN CITY -- Two days after the Iraqi government announced stringent COVID-19 precautions, including the closure of mosques and churches “until further notice,” the prime minister met with the Vatican nuncio to discuss preparations for the scheduled visit of Pope Francis.

View of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine boxes at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England, Jan. 2, 2021.

Vaccine woes add to issues in Global South

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VATICAN CITY -- When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Pope Francis warned it could make inequalities existing around the world even worse.

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