News/International

Kurdish fighters in Qamishli, Syria, take part in a military parade March 28, 2019. Groups representing Syriac Christians in northeast Syria are appealing for prayer, fearful that Turkey plans to make good its numerous threats to invade the region with its military forces.

Christians in northeast Syria appeal for prayer for safety

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AMMAN, Jordan -- Groups representing Christians in northeast Syria are appealing for prayer, fearful that Turkey plans to make good its numerous threats to invade the region with its military forces.

An official of the Congolese Independent National Electoral Commission uses his phone to calculate the numbers of presidential election votes at a tallying center in Kinshasa Jan. 4, 2019. Catholic leaders in Congo have gathered more than 1.5 million signatures on a petition that demands local elections to curb corruption and strengthen democracy.

Church-backed petition has 1 million-plus names seeking elections in Congo

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OXFORD, England -- Catholic leaders in Congo have gathered more than 1.5 million signatures on a petition that demands local elections to curb corruption and strengthen democracy.

Friends of elementary school teacher Elsa Mendoza, who was killed during the Aug. 3, 2019, shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, mourn during her wake Aug. 8 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Disrespect for life seen as factor in gun violence

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WASHINGTON -- In this American age of violence, where 165 shootings happened this year alone, where politicians scream at each other across the aisle about gun laws and Second Amendment rights without even the common ground of mutual respect, religious leaders, scholars and TV personalities alike notice a more insidious problem with American culture.

Isidoro Jajoy, a shaman from Colombia's Inga tribe, blesses people in Bogota Aug. 14, 2019, during a preparatory meeting for the October Synod of Bishops for the Amazon.

Bishops, religious in Colombia listen to Amazonians before syond

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BOGOTA, Colombia -- Bishops, nuns, priests and residents of the Amazon basin met in Colombia's capital city in mid-August to prepare for a special Synod of Bishops for the Amazon this fall at the Vatican.

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan.

'Window' in New York statute of limitations opens

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York state's yearlong "window" in the statute of limitations opened Aug. 14, allowing suits to be filed by victims alleging abuse by priests, church workers and employees of public schools, hospitals and other institutions no matter how long ago the alleged abuse occurred.

A Sudanese protester gestures during a demonstration in Khartoum July 27, 2019. Bishop Yunan Andali of El Obeid said the country has become too fragile, after months protests in which demonstrators have been pushing for a civilian government.

Sudanese bishop says country is fragile after protests

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NAIROBI, Kenya -- Sudanese Catholic Bishop Yunan Andali of El Obeid said his country has become too fragile, after months of protests in which demonstrators have been pushing for a civilian government.

Activists participate in an anti-abortion march in Mexico City May 18, 2019. The sign reads, "Love life. Choose life." In an Aug. 13 statement, the Mexican bishops' conference expressed concerns over a Supreme Court decision that upheld a health norm allowing access to abortion in public clinics if a woman has been the victim of sexual violence.

Mexican bishops: No matter how life is conceived, abortion is wrong

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MEXICO CITY -- The Mexican bishops' conference has expressed concerns over a Supreme Court decision that upheld a health norm allowing access to abortion in public clinics if a woman has been the victim of sexual violence.

Storm clouds pass over a a Catholic church in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh church cancels festival after 'disturbing message'

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WASHINGTON -- A church in the Diocese of Pittsburgh announced Aug. 13 it was canceling a popular summer event, its parish festival, after receiving what it called "a disturbing message."

Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte, N.C.

Diocese of Charlotte, N.C. priest files under independent review

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- An independent investigative firm is reviewing the Diocese of Charlotte's priest personnel files as part of the diocese's effort to release the names of all clergy credibly accused of child sexual abuse, the diocese announced Aug. 12.

An aerial view shows the power-generating wind turbines seen at northern Kenya's Lake Turkana Wind Power Project Sept. 4, 2018, in Loyangalani, Kenya. Catholic leaders welcomed the project as good for the environment and for human development.

Catholic leaders welcome new wind farm project in Kenya

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NAIROBI, Kenya -- As turbines turn on Africa's largest wind farm on the shores of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, Catholic leaders welcomed the project as good for the environment and important for human development.

A woman who supports abortion stands alongside pro-life supporters during a June 22, 2018, rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. A new Public Religion Research Institute survey of more than 54,000 Americans released Aug. 13, 2019, shows 54% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 40% believe it should be illegal in most or all cases, reflecting attitudes little changed from a 2014 survey. But researchers also detected movement in many demographic groups, Catholics included.

Catholics closely 'mirror' rest of U.S. population in support for abortion, survey finds

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WASHINGTON -- While a survey of more than 54,000 Americans showed little change in their attitudes between 2014 and 2018 on the legality of abortion, researchers detected movement in many demographic groups, Catholics included.

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