News/International

A pro-life activist holds a rosary stands outside an abortion clinic in 2012 in London. A prominent Catholic lawyer has expressed concern that local governments are considering exclusion zones around abortion clinics, with no proof anyone is harassing pregnant women.

Lawyer says no buffer zones needed around abortion clinics in England

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MANCHESTER, England – A prominent Catholic lawyer has expressed concern that local governments are considering exclusion zones around abortion clinics, with no proof anyone is harassing pregnant women.
Pope Francis talks with Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, before a meeting with Cardinals at the Vatican in 2015.

Pope Francis’ reputation on sex abuse ‘has gone from bad to worse’

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VATICAN – From his advocacy for migrants to opening up the Sistine Chapel to Rome’s homeless, Pope Francis has been an outspoken voice for people suffering on the margins.

A girl reads a Bible during Mass in the state-approved Xuanwumen Catholic Church in Bejing, China, Dec. 4, 2016.

Catholics see restrictions as new religion rules take effect in China

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HONG KONG – Since China's new regulations for religious affairs took effect Feb. 1, minors have been banned from entering places of worship in several regions.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich-Freising, president of the German bishops' conference, and other German bishops and a lay synod observer, hold a press conference at the Vatican after the opening session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican in 2015.

Cardinal Marx urges pastoral care, but not 'blessing' of gay couples

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ROME – The president of the German bishops' conference urged priests to provide better pastoral care to Catholics who are homosexual, but he said, "I think that would not be right" when asked if he could imagine the Catholic Church blessing gay couples.
The Danish Medical Association has advised against male circumcision in boys for several years, though no ban has been enacted in the country.

Bill banning circumcision in Iceland a threat to religious freedom, Cardinal Marx says

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A new bill proposed in Iceland that would make circumcision punishable by up to six years in prison is a “dangerous attack” on religious freedom, Cardinal Reinhard Marx has said.
Two ex-managers of Vatican bank ordered to pay damages for mismanagement

Two ex-managers of Vatican bank ordered to pay damages for mismanagement

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VATICAN – A Vatican court found two former top managers of the Vatican bank liable for mismanagement and ordered an injunction for them to pay damages.
A 6.4 earthquake north-northeast of Hualien, Taiwan, occurred as the result of oblique strike-slip faulting at shallow depth, near the plate boundary between the Philippine Sea and Eurasia plates at the northeast coast of Taiwan, according to the USGS earthquake hazards program.

Pope Francis sends condolences to victims of Taiwan quake

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VATICAN – After a massive earthquake and a string of aftershocks in Taiwan killed at least seven and injured hundreds more, Pope Francis Wednesday sent a telegram assuring of his prayer for the victims and those engaged in rescue efforts.
Argentinian Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo applauded the Chinese government and the country's current status during an interview with Vatican Insider.

China is a model of Catholic social teaching, protector of human dignity, bishop says

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VATICAN – The chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences has said that China is exercising global moral leadership in the principles of Catholic social teaching and defense of human dignity.
A woman mourns on a coffin during a ceremony to deliver the remains of victims of the conflict with paramilitary groups in Medellin, Colombia, Aug. 18, 2017.

Church helps people in Colombia reconcile after 52 years of conflict

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UNITED NATIONS – In the complex peace process now underway in Colombia after 52 years of violent conflict, the Catholic Church works on many levels to replace a culture of violence with one of encounter.
Bishop Juan Barros attends his first Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Osorno, Chile, Mar. 21, 2015. The Vatican said it had no reason to preclude Bishop Barros' nomination after protestors charged he had covered up for a priest whom the Vatican later found guilty of sexually abusing minors.

Pope received letter reporting Bishop Barros in 2015, sex abuse survivor says

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VATICAN – A Chilean survivor of sexual abuse says that he wrote a letter to Pope Francis in 2015, claiming that Bishop Juan Barros of Chile witnessed abuse perpetrated by his friend, Father Fernando Karadima, and that the Pope failed to act on the letter.
According to a 2016 Canadian Payday Loan Association report, almost 2 million Canadians use payday loans every year.

Stop loan sharks with fair lending options, frugal lifestyles, Pope says

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VATICAN – Usury is a grave sin that must be fought by building more just and humane economic and financial systems as well as by teaching people to live within their means, Pope Francis said.

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