News/International

Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising speaks during the opening service of the plenary meeting of the German bishops' conference in Ingolstadt, Germany, Feb. 19. The conference issued a statement saying that, at the plenary meeting in September, the bishops would continue to examine the issue of communion for Protestant spouses of Catholics.

German bishops resume Communion debate, ignoring Pope's request

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WASHINGTON – The German bishops' conference said when the bishops meet in September, they will continue to examine the issue of Communion for Protestant spouses of Catholics.
Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes Solorzano and Archbishop Waldemar Sommertag, apostolic nuncio to Nicaragua, are seen in Masaya, Nicaragua, June 21 as clashes between anti-government protesters and police continue.

Nicaraguan bishops to inform Pope of worsening crisis

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Managua, Nicaragua – As the situation in Nicaragua continues to deteriorate, two of the country's bishops are travelling to Rome, where they will brief Pope Francis on the state of affairs in their nation.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen in Seoul, South Korea, June 5. During a technology summit in the southern city of Davao, Philippines, June 22, he questioned how Adam and Eve brought about "original sin."

Duterte seeks collaboration with Philippine bishops after calling God 'stupid'

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MANILA, Philippines – After calling God “stupid,” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that he will seek to have a dialogue with the country’s bishops’ conference in an effort to repair relationships.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, said the court's decision "fails to safeguard" this nation's fundamental principle of religious liberty and "leaves undisturbed" a policy that "now masquerades behind a facade of national-security concerns."

Court upholds travel ban, says directive is within president's power

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WASHINGTON – In a 5-4 decision June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Donald Trump's travel ban on people entering the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, saying the president's action was within his power.
Father Paul Ogalo performs rap songs about drug abuse, food insecurity, and the environment at St. Monica Church in Rapogi, Kenya, May 6. Since then, the 45-year-old priest has been suspended one year by the Diocese of Homa Bay for performing rap after Mass.

Parishioners in Kenya disappointed after priest suspended for rapping

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RAPOGI, Kenya – Many parishioners at St. Monica Church in western Kenya are unhappy after their favorite priest was suspended for misconduct by the Diocese of Homa Bay.
Pope Francis speaks during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 20.

New Vatican appointments reflect Pope's desire for transparency

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VATICAN – Pope Francis appointed Bishop Nunzio Galantino, 69, as president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, which handles the Vatican's investment portfolio and real estate holdings and serves as the Vatican employment office and procurement agency.
Lines of barbed-wire fencing enclose the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp in Oswiecim, Poland, in this Sept. 4, 2015, file photo.

Pope calls torture mortal sin, calling on Christians to help tortured victims

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VATICAN – Calling torture a "mortal sin," Pope Francis called on Christians to help victims of this crime against human rights.
Pro-life advocates gather near the U.S. Supreme Court during the annual March for Life in Washington Jan. 19.

U.S. Supreme Court sides with pro-life pregnancy centres in California abortion case

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WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court blocked a California law requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to post information on programs to obtain and free or low-cost abortion on June 26.
Former Irish President Mary McAleese is pictured in a 2015 photo, speaking at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome

Baptism of infants violates human rights, former Irish president says

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DUBLIN, Ireland – Former Irish President Mary McAleese has said that the baptism of infants is a form of coercion, calling on the Catholic Church to change its practice.
Salwa Khalaf Rasho, a human rights activist who escaped Islamic State captivity, talks with Callista Gingrich, U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, during a symposium on religious freedom presented by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome June 25.

Religions, governments must work for religious 'harmony', speakers say

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ROME – Promoting and protecting religious freedom is a shared priority of the United States and the Vatican, said Callista Gingrich, U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, left, a former Vatican diplomat who served in Washington, talks to his lawyer during his sentencing in a Vatican court June 23. Msgr. Capella was found guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography and sentenced to five years in a Vatican prison and fined 5,000 Euro.

Ex-Vatican diplomat found guilty of distributing child pornography

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VATICAN – A Vatican court found Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, a former staff member at the Vatican nunciature in Washington, guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography.
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