News/International

Federal parliament building, Canberra, Australia.

Australian government revising religious discrimination legislation

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SYDNEY -- The Australian government has decided to revisit its religious discrimination legislation after key religious groups -- including the Archdiocese of Sydney -- said they would withdraw their support.

Armed police stand guard during a Dec. 21, 2017, ceremony ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations in Jakarta, Indonesia. Nearly 160,000 security personnel will be deployed to try to make upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations in Indonesia safe, according to a police official.

Indonesia to deploy 160,000 security personnel to protect churches for Christmas

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JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Nearly 160,000 security personnel will be deployed to try to make Christmas and New Year celebrations in Indonesia safe, reported ucanews.org.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses the inaugural session of the second International Conference on Christian Persecution in Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 26, 2019.

Governments urged to shed fear of working with churches on persecution

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BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Speakers at the second International Conference on Christian Persecution called upon governments to shed the "fear of working with the churches."

Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo gives the homily as he concelebrates Mass with other U.S. bishops from the state of New York at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome Nov. 12, 2019. Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Malone and named Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger of Albany, N.Y., as Buffalo's apostolic administrator.

Early resignation of Bishop Malone accepted by Pope Francis

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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone told Catholics Dec. 4 he asked Pope Francis to allow him to retire early so the people of the diocese "will be better served" by a new bishop who is "perhaps better able" to bring about "reconciliation, healing and renewal" in addressing the abuse crisis.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is pictured in an undated photo.

Beatification for Archbishop Sheen postponed

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PEORIA, Ill. -- Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria said Dec. 3 Vatican officials have told him that the upcoming beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has been postponed.

Graffiti is seen in Hebrew on a wall next to a car was burned in the Palestinian town of Taybeh, east of Ramallah, West Bank. The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land condemned vandalism attacks in two Arab villages and called on Israeli authorities to "investigate seriously" what they termed hate crimes.

Catholic leaders urge Israel to investigate hate crimes in Arab villages

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JERUSALEM -- The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land condemned vandalism attacks in two Arab villages and called on Israeli authorities to "investigate seriously" what they termed hate crimes.

Patriarchs and others attend a meeting in Cairo Nov. 25-29, 2019. The Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the East called upon officials of their homelands to "ensure safety, peace and tranquility and stability for their citizens."

Mideast Catholic leaders call for peace, stability in region

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CAIRO -- Amid deadly protests in Iraq, a people's uprising in Lebanon and continued suffering in Syria, Catholic leaders of the Middle East called upon officials of their homelands to "ensure safety, peace and tranquility and stability for their citizens."

In this 2017 file photo, former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington is pictured in Baltimore, Md.

Alleged abuse victim files lawsuit against McCarrick

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NEWARK, N.J. -- A day after a New Jersey victims' rights law went into effect, a 37-year-old man represented by Minnesota attorney Jeff Anderson has filed a lawsuit against Theodore McCarrick, a former cardinal who was Newark's archbishop from 1986 to 2000.

Pro-life supporters stand with signs outside the High Court in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jan. 30, 2019. Britain's bishops have made the right to life a priority for Catholics ahead of a general election in which two major political parties have promised to liberalize abortion laws.

British bishops urge voters to question candidates on life issues

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MANCHESTER, England -- British bishops have made the right to life a priority for Catholics ahead of a general election in which two major political parties have promised to liberalize abortion laws.

Deacon Drake A. McCalister poses with Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton of Steubenville, Ohio, at Holy Family Church following his ordination as a transitional deacon June 29, 2018. Deacon McCalister has been given approval by the Vatican to be ordained to the priesthood for the Steubenville Diocese. Bishop Monforton will ordain his Dec. 19, 2019.

Former Pentecostal minister to be ordained priest

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STEUBENVILLE, Ohio -- Deacon Drake McCalister, a former Pentecostal minister, has been given approval by the Vatican to be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Steubenville.

Bishop Mark E. Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, W.Va., speaks during a news conference at the chancery Nov. 26, 2019, in Wheeling, W.Va.

Bishop asks predecessor to repay $792,000 to diocese

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WASHINGTON -- Bishop Mark E. Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, has asked the former bishop of the diocese to pay back more than $792,000 to cover the "inappropriate expenditure of diocesan funds to support a luxurious lifestyle."

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