News/International

Pope Francis stands with his crosier as prelates pass the casket of Cardinal Bernard F. Law at the end of his funeral Mass Dec. 21 at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Cardinal Law, who resigned as archbishop of Boston in 2002 when it became clear he had knowingly transferred priests accused of sexually abusing children, died Dec. 20 in Rome at age 86.

Cardinal Law's funeral celebrated at Vatican

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VATICAN – Cardinal Bernard F. Law, who resigned as archbishop of Boston when it became clear he had knowingly transferred priests accused of sexually abusing children, made mistakes as all people do, Cardinal Angelo Sodano said at his funeral.
A Rohingya family sits outside their tent at a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

‘Fastest growing crisis’ growing worse for Rohingya

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Development and Peace has raised $590,000 to fund its work in Bangladesh and Myanmar with Rohingya refugees, $450,000 of which is eligible for matching funds from Ottawa.
Pope Francis greets prelates during his annual pre-Christmas meeting with top officials of the Roman Curia and Vatican City State and with cardinals living in Rome in the Clementine Hall Dec. 21 at the Vatican.

Curia exists for service, not for glory, Pope says

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VATICAN – The people who work at the Vatican and in the Roman Curia are supposed to be "sensitive antennas" that faithfully transmit the desires of the Pope and receive information from dioceses and Eastern Catholic churches around the world, Pope Francis said.
People carry Christmas trees, handed out annually by the Jerusalem municipality, in Jerusalem's Old City. The status quo of Jerusalem should remain as is until an agreement about the holy city's status is reached by Palestinians and Israelis, said Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Archbishop: Israelis, Palestinians must agree before Jerusalem changes

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JERUSALEM – The status quo of Jerusalem should remain as is until an agreement about the holy city is reached by Palestinians and Israelis, said Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Rescue personnel and equipment are seen Dec. 19 after Amtrak train 501 derailed onto Interstate 5 in Dupont, Wash. At least three people were killed and dozens injured after the train derailed Dec. 18 while traveling on the first day of a new route outside Tacoma, careening off a bridge and onto a highway below.

Catholic leaders offer prayers for all affected by Amtrak derailment

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DUPONT, Wash. – Catholic leaders in the Archdiocese of Seattle and the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, offered prayers for all affected by the Dec. 18 derailment of an Amtrak train that had just come from the Tacoma station and was headed to Portland.
Cardinal Bernard F. Law, who had been one of the United States' most powerful and respected bishops until his legacy was blemished by the devastating sexual abuse of minors by priests in his Archdiocese of Boston, died early Dec. 20 in Rome at the age of 86. He is picture in a 2010 photo.

Cardinal Law, whose legacy was marred by Boston sex abuse scandal, dies

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VATICAN – Cardinal Bernard F. Law, who had been one of the United States' most powerful and respected bishops until his legacy was blemished by the devastating sexual abuse of minors by priests in his Archdiocese of Boston, died early Dec. 20 in Rome at the age of 86.
Abuse victim Darren Chalmers sits on a bench with numerous placards outside the venue for Australia's Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney March 2016.

Commission questions priest celibacy and seal of confession in child-abuse cases

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MELBOURNE, Australia – An Australian Royal Commission has recommended that the Vatican consider lifting the seal of the confessional in child-abuse cases and allowing voluntary celibacy for priests.

Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Jordan's King Abdullah II during a private meeting Dec. 19 at the Vatican. At left is Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the papal household.

Pope meets Jordan's king amid rising tensions in Jerusalem

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VATICAN – Pope Francis met with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the Vatican, two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital provoked outrage in the Middle East.
A group of migrants from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, on their way to seek asylum in Germany or Austria, walk Jan. 24 along the frozen route from the border between Serbia and Macedonia to a temporary camp for migrants Jan. 2016.

German churches act as buffer for refugees with sanctuary program

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BERLIN – Sitting on the bare pavement outside a Catholic church, an Afghan refugee woman, dressed in a bright floral headscarf, calls out plaintively to passersby, begging for coins.
A woman venerates a relic of St. Jacinta Marto prior to a vigil Mass Oct. 12 celebrated in honor of Our Lady of Fatima at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in New York City. St. Jacinta was one of the three children to whom Mary appeared in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.

Vatican releases new instruction on authenticating, protecting relics

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VATICAN – Only relics that have been certified as authentic can be exposed for veneration by the faithful, said a new Vatican instruction.
Pope Francis advanced the sainthood causes of Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton (right) and St. John Paul II's mentor, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski

Polish Cardinal and "Rosary Priest" one step closer to sainthood

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VATICAN – Pope Francis advanced the sainthood causes of Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton and St. John Paul II's mentor, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski.
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