News/International

A woman holds this sign as members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) hold a news conference in front of the Diocese of Pittsburgh Aug. 20 several days after a Pennsylvania grand jury released a stinging report that said more than 300 priests sexually abused more than 1,000 children during the course of several decades.

Class-action lawsuit filed against eight Pennsylvania dioceses for abuse cover-up

By
PITTSBURGH – A class-action lawsuit was filed Sept. 17 against eight Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania demanding the dioceses provide proof that they submitted the names of all suspected predators.
Archbishop Hoser, who had been sent by the Vatican in 2017 to study the pastoral situation in Medjugorje, says he hopes more priests will come to provide sacraments and catechesis training at Medjugorje.

Apostolic visitor outlines plans to expand Medjugorje shrine for young pilgrims

By
WARSAW, Poland – The Polish archbishop tasked with overseeing Bosnia-Herzegovina's Medjugorje shrine has outlined plans for expansion, including more Masses in different languages and facilities for young pilgrims who flock to the site of the alleged Marian apparitions.
Retired Pope Benedict XVI prepares to greet Pope Francis during the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in this Dec. 8, 2015, file photo.

In letters to Cardinal Brandmuller, pope emeritus defends his retirement

By
VATICAN – Retired Pope Benedict XVI expressed his displeasure with the way a German cardinal publicly criticized his stepping down as pontiff, and he defended taking the title "pope emeritus."
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, gives the opening prayer Nov. 13 at the bishops' fall general assembly in Baltimore. Also pictured are Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president, and Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield, USCCB general secretary.

U.S. bishops plan third-party abuse reporting system, code of conduct

By
WASHINGTON – Pledging to "heal and protect with every bit of the strength God provides us," the U.S. bishops' Administrative Committee Sept. 19 outlined actions to address the abuse crisis, including approving the establishment of a third-party confidential reporting system for claims of any abuse by bishops.
Bono, the lead singer of U2, speaks during a news conference in the Vatican press hall after meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican Sept. 19.

U2's Bono meets Pope Francis to sign charity agreement

By
VATICAN – Bono, the lead singer of the Irish band U2, said he told Pope Francis that in Ireland "it looks as though the abusers are being more protected than the victims. And you could see the pain in his face."
A man prays during Mass in 2017 at in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing. Sources say a long-awaited Vatican agreement with China, expected to be signed soon, only solves some of the issues of the church in China.

Vatican-China deal could be signed in late September, media reports say

By
HONG KONG – The long-awaited Sino-Vatican agreement on the nomination of bishops is expected to be signed in September, reported several media outlets.
Demonstrators hold candles and flowers Aug. 20 in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago, Chile. The demonstration was held as a protest against sexual abuse committed in the Chilean Catholic Church, in an event organized by the Network of Survivors of Ecclesiastical Abuse in Chile.

Church isn't above the law when it comes to abuse, Chilean bishop says

By
VATICAN – As revelations of the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by clergy continue in Chile, an archbishop said that the church can no longer ignore the suffering of victims.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich-Freising, president of the German bishops' conference, arrives for a session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican Oct. 23, 2015.

Cardinal Marx says mistakes were made in handling abuse, calls for change in German church

By
Cardinal Reinhard Marx, head of the German bishops' conference, admitted that mistakes were made in the German church's handling of sex abuse of minors and said he anticipates change in the church.
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, speaks during a Sept. 18 Vatican news conference to announce synod changes. Also pictured is Greg Burke, Vatican spokesman. Pope Francis has issued an apostolic constitution, updating the rules of how the synod is prepared for, conducted and implemented.

Pope Francis gives new vision for Synod of Bishops

By
VATICAN – The Synod of Bishops increasingly should be a structure for listening to the Catholic faithful, demonstrating a local bishop's concern for the entire church and a means of expressing all the bishops' unity with the pope, Pope Francis said.
Palestinian youths run for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during a Sept. 10 protest along a beach in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. budgetary cuts to humanitarian aid institutions providing assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank could lead to long-term disastrous consequences, said aid workers in the region.

U.S. aid cuts to Palestinians could be disastrous, Catholic workers say

By
JERUSALEM – The U.S. budgetary cuts to humanitarian aid institutions helping Palestinians could lead to long-term disastrous consequences, said Catholic aid workers in the region.
Displaced children are seen Sept. 11 at a camp in Idlib, Syria.

Idlib civilians fear offensive by Syrian forces, Christian aid group says

By
AMMAN, Jordan – Christians and other civilians inside Idlib, Syria, are fearful of an impending, all-out offensive by their government and its Russian and Iranian backers on the northwestern province, the last rebel stronghold and presumed endgame in Syria's more than seven-year-old war.
Page 1 of 489