News/International

Baker Jack Phillips decorates a cake in his Masterpiece Cakeshop Sept. 21 in Lakewood, Colo. The Supreme Court was set to hear oral arguments Dec. 5 in the case of the baker who cited religious freedom in his refusal to design a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

Court seems divided in cake case examining religious rights, expression

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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court seemed equally divided in the long-anticipated oral arguments Dec. 5 about the baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because of his religious beliefs.
Pope Francis greets newly married couples during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sept. 30, 2015.

Pope's letter to Argentine bishops on 'Amoris Laetitia' part of official record

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VATICAN – Describing them as "authentic magisterium," Pope Francis ordered the official publication of his letter to a group of Argentine bishops and their guidelines for the interpretation of "Amoris Laetitia," his apostolic exhortation on the family.
Residents carry their belongings as they evacuate their home Dec. 2 after flooding caused by Typhoon Ockhi in the coastal village of Chellanam in the southern state of Kerala, India. The storm claimed the lives of at least 32 poor Catholic fishermen who were at sea and 200 more were missing.

32 Catholic fishermen dead, hundreds missing as typhoon Ockhi hits India

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India – A typhoon that rapidly developed on the southern Indian coast claimed the lives of at least 32 poor Catholic fishermen who were at sea and another 200 more were missing.
This photo illustration shows someone using a cellphone inside a Catholic chapel in Washington Oct. 27.

App puts kindness in focus at Advent

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It started out as a Duffy family tradition and now they’re ready to share it with anyone with a smartphone.
Pope Francis walks with children as he visits the Mother Teresa House in the Tejgaon neighborhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dec. 2.

Our own defects and limitations threaten peace, Pope says in Bangladesh

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DHAKA, Bangladesh – Devoting his last day in Bangladesh to the nation's tiny Catholic community, Pope Francis told clergy and religious that there was no way they could promote interreligious harmony in the country if their communities were marked by gossip, division and bitterness.
Pope Francis answers questions from journalists aboard his flight from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Rome Dec. 2.

Pope: What I don't say in public, I say behind closed doors

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VATICAN – On his return flight from Bangladesh to Rome, Pope Francis offered journalists an insight into his communication strategy, saying that when it comes to a sensitive topic, at times he prefers to hold his tongue publicly so that his message gets across, but is more open in private conversations.
Pope Francis meets Rohingya refugees from Myanmar during an interreligious and ecumenical meeting for peace in the garden of the archbishop's residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dec. 1.

Pope meets 16 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, says they are 'images of the living God'

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DHAKA, Bangladesh – Each human being is created in the image and likeness of God, yet so often people desecrate that image with violence as seen in the treatment of Myanmar's Rohingya minority, Pope Francis said.
A conservator cleans the surface of the Edicule, the traditional site of Jesus' burial and resurrection, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Tests offer new information on date of site believed to be tomb of Christ

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WASHINGTON – Scientists who helped restore a shrine above the site believed to be the place where Christ was buried say testing of samples has dated the tomb to at least the fourth century. 
Pope Francis met with the 12 Bangladeshi bishops at a home for elderly priests in the afternoon of his second day in the south Asian country. It was part of his Nov. 27-Dec. 2 pastoral visit to the countries of Burma, also known as Myanmar, and Bangladesh.

Pope tells Bangladesh bishops to make laity a priority, especially youth

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DHAKA, Bangladesh – On Friday Pope Francis met with the bishops of Bangladesh, urging them to be close to the laity, especially young people and families, and to encourage them to serve the Church according to their particular gifts.
A Rohingya woman who says she was beaten and burned by soldiers in Myanmar poses for a photograph in late October at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Pope kicks off Bangladesh visit with call to action on Rohingya crisis

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VATICAN – Pope Francis arrived in Bangladesh with words of praise for the humanitarian assistance the nation has given to Rohingya Muslim refugees, and urged greater action on their behalf from the international community.
Pope Franci waters a tree he planted during a visit to the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar, Bangladesh, Nov. 30.

Pope arrives in Bangladesh, praises country's welcome of Rohingya

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DHAKA, Bangladesh – The government and people of Bangladesh have shown exemplary generosity in welcoming hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, despite great demands placed on already limited resources, Pope Francis said.
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