News/International

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Pope Francis' ambassador to Ukraine, to express disappointment about papal comments regarding the death of Darya Dugina, a 29-year-old commentator with a nationalist Russian TV channel.

Pope Francis meeting off as Russian patriarch cancels visit to Kazakhstan

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Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who was expected to meet Pope Francis at the Congress of World and Traditional Religions in Kazakhstan, will not attend the interreligious gathering in September, a senior Russian Orthodox bishop said.

New Chinese Catholic leaders say they'll follow Communist Party principles

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Two state-sponsored church bodies in China have elected new leaders, who promised to invigorate the Catholic faithful pastorally in line with the socialist principles of the Chinese Communist Party.

Nicaraguan police continue harassing Catholics as Pope Francis calls for dialogue

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Following the arrest of a bishop and 11 others, police continued harassing Nicaraguan Catholics, even as Pope Francis called for "open and sincere" dialogue in the Central American country.

Batter up: the all-faith all-star team

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Yogi Berra, Gil Hodges, Derek Jeter, Babe Ruth, Whitey Ford and Connie Mack were among the ballplayers Catholic voters chose in online balloting for an all-time Catholic baseball all-star team.

Czerny prays for kin killed at Auschwitz

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Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Edith Stein at Auschwitz, Cardinal Michael Czerny also prayed for another victim of the Nazis from the notorious Second World War concentration camp.

Catholics express sorrow, offer prayers after Orthodox church fire in Egypt

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Some Catholic leaders have joined the Coptic Orthodox Church in mourning the 41 people -- including 18 children -- who died in a fire in Egypt's capital, Cairo.

Nicaraguan priest detained, others blocked from Marian celebration

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Three police patrols detained a Nicaraguan priest at his parish Aug. 14, in the latest instance of the government repression of the Catholic Church.

Seeing famous Passion Play brings Gospel to life

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The visitors browse the intricately carved wooden Nativity sets or dive into some mouthwatering creamy Italian ice cream at the Eiscafe Paradiso. Thousands from the world over are descending on this picturesque Alpine village to see the famed Passionsspiele, or Passion Play, held here every decade for nearly 400 years.

Health care workers denied religious exemption on vaccine win settlement

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Liberty Counsel, a Christian legal group, announced that a settlement it called historic has been reached with an Illinois hospital system over denying its employees a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Five-day trial set for Cardinal Zen, four defendants

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At a pre-trial hearing in Hong Kong, a judge set a five-day trial for Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and four other defendants who face charges of failing to properly register a now-defunct fund to help anti-government protesters.