News/International
Ireland plans to dramatically cut welfare benefits for Ukrainian refugees
By Michael Kelly, OSV NewsPlans to dramatically cut welfare benefits for refugees from Ukraine who flee to Ireland to avoid Russia's war are causing anxiety, according to a priest who works with the new arrivals. Officials in Dublin say that they want to "slow" the number of people arriving from Ukraine.
Ukraine's war-torn Christians look ahead to first Christmas shared with West
By Jonathan Luxmoore, OSV NewsWhen Ukraine's embattled citizens gather this Christmas, their rich festivities will feel symbolically different -- as the festival is celebrated for the first time on Dec. 25, in line with the Western calendar.
Nebraska priest dies after attack during apparent rectory break-in
By Gina Christian, OSV NewsA Nebraska priest has died after being attacked in the rectory of his parish in the early morning before he was to celebrate Mass for the Second Sunday of Advent.
Church fights Uganda’s child marriage ‘plague’
By Tonny Onyulo, OSV NewsLala Mbabazi, who is three months pregnant, sat on a sofa in her one-bedroom mud house on the outskirts of Soroti, a town in eastern Uganda.
Senate Republicans block Ukraine-Israel emergency aid over border, raising Catholic concerns
By Kate Scanlon, OSV NewsSenate Republicans Dec. 6 blocked an emergency spending bill to provide billions of dollars in wartime aid to Ukraine and Israel while calling for strict new policies at the U.S.-Mexico border opposed by some Catholic immigration advocates.
Russia bans Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries in occupied region of Ukraine
By Gina Christian, OSV NewsRussian occupation authorities have banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries in occupied areas of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, according to the church's main communications office in Kyiv.
Bishops seek dialogue as French anti-Semitism rises
By Caroline de Sury, OSV NewsThe Oct. 7 killing of about 1,200 people in Israel by armed Hamas militants represented the biggest killing of Jews since the Holocaust. It also started the war that has killed nearly 16,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run health ministry, followed by massive pro-Palestinian protests around the globe. What it also did was spark unprecedented instances of anti-Semitism.
Hong Kong churches under threat: report
By Susan KorahA report launched Nov. 21 in the Canadian parliament by Benedict Rogers, the British co-founder and chief executive of Hong Kong Watch, raised several red flags about the insidious but dangerous erosion of religious freedom in Hong Kong.
Latin patriarch: Political leaders must seek diplomatic solution to Israel-Hamas conflict
By Rick Snizek, OSV NewsThe current war between Israel and Hamas may finally force a diplomatic solution to the long intractable tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the Holy Land, said the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.
Proposed referendum for Irish Constitution calls for widening the definition of family
By Michael Kelly, OSV NewsA pro-family campaign group has warned that a proposed March referendum in Ireland to amend the country's constitution would be a "further downgrading of the importance of marriage to society."
Explosion at university in southern Philippines kills four people during morning Mass
By Maria-Pia Negro Chin, OSV NewsA deadly bomb that exploded during a Mass Dec. 3 killed at least four people and injured dozens at a university in a predominantly Muslim city in southern Philippines.