News/International

Pope Francis accepts gifts from Melkite Patriarch Joseph Absi during a meeting with the Melkite synod of bishops at the Vatican Feb. 12. The Melkite Church is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with Rome.

Pope, Melkite patriarch formalize full communion with Rome

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VATICAN – Formalizing their unity in the intimate setting of the chapel of the papal residence, Pope Francis and Melkite Patriarch Joseph Absi concelebrated Mass together in the presence of members of the Melkite synod of bishops.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is pictured at a pulpit in an undated file photo.

Venerable Fulton Sheen's niece continues to fight for his body, progress his sainthood cause

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NEW YORK – The case involving the transfer of the remains of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen from New York to Peoria, Illinois, has been sent back to the original court by the New York Court of Appeals for an evidentiary hearing.
Pope Francis meets at the Vatican Feb. 12 with Italian young people, adults and migrants rescued from human traffickers. The pope responded to the questions five of the young people asked about preventing trafficking and assisting survivors.

Clients of prostitution are complicit to human trafficking, Pope says

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VATICAN – Prosperous nations where foreign women are forced into prostitution need to drop their hypocrisy and "face the idea that they are part of the problem, rather than turning away, proclaiming their innocence," Pope Francis said.
Priests celebrate Mass for citizens killed in recent protests at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Congo in Kinshasa, Congo, Feb. 9.

4.5 million displaced in Congo 'struggling to survive,' says aid worker

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WASHINGTON – Just as people are "struggling to survive" in Congo, aid agencies are struggling to meet their needs, said one aid worker.
The statue of Mary at the grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southwestern France, May 2014.

Nun's recovery recognized as 70th official miraculous healing at Lourdes

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ROME – As the Catholic Church celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, a French bishop announced the 70th officially recognized miraculous cure of a pilgrim to the Lourdes grotto where Mary appeared 160 years ago.
Hindu nationalists burning an effigy of Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, archbishop of Ranchi, India on in Sept. 2017.

India's Cardinal Gracias concerned over threats to diversity

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BANGALORE, India – Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, newly elected president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, expressed "anguish" over increasing threats to pluralism in the country.
Panamanian flags are seen after Pope Francis celebrated the World Youth Day closing Mass in 2016 at the Field of Mercy in Krakow, Poland.

Pope Francis officially signs up for World Youth Day in Panama

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VATICAN – After the Angelus Sunday, with the help of a tablet and two young people, Pope Francis signed up for World Youth Day 2019 in Panama, announcing that registration for the international event has opened.
Yuna Kim performs in the Ladies' Figure Skating Short Program in Vancouver, during the 2010 Winter Olympics on Feb. 23, 2010.

Catholic skater Yuna Kim lights up the start of 2018 Winter Olympics

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SEOUL, South Korea – Catholic Olympic gold-medalist Yuna Kim lit the torch at the Opening Ceremony for the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Feb. 9.
Chilean Father Fernando Karadima leaves after attending a 2015 hearing at the Supreme Court building in Santiago.

Church's legal procedures for abuse cases must change, expert says

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ROME – Even though the Catholic Church has all the necessary norms and laws in place to safeguard minors from abuse by clergy, the problem continues to be a lack in understanding or caring about those rules and guidelines and applying them effectively, said one Jesuit expert.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, England, speaks during a news conference to talk about the work of the Santa Marta Group, an anti-trafficking initiative, at the Vatican Feb. 9. The international group of law enforcement and church workers fighting human trafficking met with Pope Francis Feb. 9. Also pictured are Cressida Dick, commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Service, and Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, Myanmar.

Vatican conference unites police and Church in fight against human trafficking

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VATICAN – A conference on human trafficking and modern-day slavery was held at the Vatican Feb. 8-9, bringing together church leaders and senior police officers from more than 30 different countries to discuss progress and setbacks in initiatives.
Bishop Rangel of Guerrero said the two slain priests were musicians, who performed in remote hamlets and "approached people" and "evangelized" through music. Father Muniz, he said, was famed for his parish choir, while Father Anorve came from the Costa Chica region, at least five hours away.

Bishop denies murdered Mexican priest had gang ties

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ACAPULCO, Mexico – The Bishop of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Mexico denied that Fr. Germain Muñiz Garcia, who was murdered on a Mexican highway Feb. 5 along with Fr. Iván Añorve Jaimes, had any connection to organized crime, as the Guerrero State Prosecutor's Office has recently claimed.
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