News/International

Armed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, march outside a Ukrainian military base in Crimea March 7. A Ukrainian Catholic priest in Crimea said church members are "alarmed and frightened" by the Russian military occupation and fear their communities could be outlawed again if Russian rule becomes permanent.

Ukrainian Catholics fear 'new oppression' after Russian takeover

By

OXFORD, England - A Ukrainian Catholic priest in Crimea said church members are alarmed and frightened by the Russian military occupation and fear their communities might be outlawed again if Russian rule becomes permanent.

An anti-government protester throws a tear gas canister back at police during a March 10 protest in Caracas, Venezuela. Bishops in Caracas urged both the government and protesters to resist violence amid a deepening standoff in Venezuela that has further polarized the country and left church charities struggling.

Economic woes, violence leave Venezuelan charities short of food, meds

By

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Deep economic problems and violent demonstrations in Venezuela have left Catholic charities struggling to supply food and medical supplies amid an increase in demand for services, said a top Catholic aid official.

Mother Plagia Sayyaf of Mar Thecla monastery in Maaloula, Syria, left, who along with at least 11 other nuns was freed after three months, attends a prayer service at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross in Damascus March 10. Islamist rebels claim ed responsibility for the abduction of the nuns in December from Syria's ancient town of Maaloula.

Catholic officials: Release of kidnapped nuns was answer to prayers

By

BEIRUIT - The release of at least 12 Greek Orthodox nuns who were abducted in Syria in December was an answer to prayers, said regional Catholic officials.

A woman holds flowers as she stands next to a reflecting pool at the World Trade Center site in New York. Atheist are challenging plans to include a 17-foot, cross-shaped beam that became a famous symbol of Ground Zero after 9/11.

Atheists in court to stop Ground Zero cross

By

NEW YORK - Atheists are challenging plans to include a 17-foot, cross-shaped beam that became a famous symbol of Ground Zero after 9/11 in a display at the national memorial museum that is scheduled to open this spring.

Istafanos Youssif, a university student from the port city of Suez, Egypt, stands inside the damaged Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Suez Feb. 28. The church was among dozens of Christian properties that came under attack last August in the pred ominantly Muslim country.

Are Egypt's Christians persecuted? Copts' answers vary

By

CAIRO - Egypt's minority Christians have various opinions regarding claims that they are being persecuted in their predominantly Muslim country.

Armed men patrol at the airport in Crimea, Ukraine, Feb. 28. Church leaders in Ukraine appealed for peace in the Crimea peninsula as the government accused Russia of "carrying out an armed invasion."

Pope asks Christians to pray for Ukraine

By

VATICAN CITY - As uncertainty reigned in Ukraine and Russian troops appeared to have control of the Crimean peninsula, Pope Francis again asked the world's Christians to pray for Ukraine and urged the parties involved in the conflict to engage in dialogue.

Marlon Tumenbang, owner of Matthew's Meat Shop in Tacloban, Philippines, poses for a photo Feb. 6. Tumenbang was out of business for nearly three months after his shop was flooded by Typhoon Haiyan.

Tacloban recovery slow as residents confront questions about the future

By

TACLOBAN, Philippines - A small sign — a sheet of paper printed from a computer — announces "We're now open" on the front door of Matthew's Meat Shop on Real Street, across from some of the most devastated communities in this typhoon-ravaged city.

A man kneels in prayer in front of a statue of Mary and a crucifix by a barricade near Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, Feb. 21. Acting Ukraine President Oleksandr Turchynov is neither Ukrainian Orthodox nor Eastern Rite Catholic, and that may be the key to his success at a time when fissures between East and West are threatening to split the country, analysts say.

Oleksandr Turchynov’s Baptist faith may help defuse Ukrainian crisis

By

KIEV, Ukraine - Acting Ukraine President Oleksandr Turchynov is neither Ukrainian Orthodox nor Eastern Rite Catholic, and that may be the key to his success at a time when fissures between East and West are threatening to split the country, analysts say.

Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, speaks Feb. 25 during a Rome news conference on the recent events in the Ukrainian capital.

Ukrainian archbishop sees lingering threat of war, but signs of hope

By

VATICAN CITY - The three months of protests in Ukraine that ended with government snipers killing dozens of people strengthened the commitment to democracy of many Ukrainians, but also left the country vulnerable to further violence and division, said the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Demonstrators confront police during a protest against the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Feb. 22. The country's Catholic leaders urged dialogue and respect for the demonstrators' human rights.

Venezuela's Catholic leaders urge dialogue, respect for demonstrators

By

LIMA, Peru - As protests in Venezuela continued, with flare-ups of violence, the country's Catholic leaders urged dialogue and respect for the demonstrators' human rights.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, who is accused of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings, is pictured in this undated FBI handout photo. His trial in federal court is to begin in November. The Conference of Major Superios of Men Feb. 19 decried the federal gov ernment's decision to seek the death penalty, calling instead for "restorative justice" for Tsarnaev.

'Restorative justice,' not death penalty, urged for accused bomber

By

WASHINGTON - In light of the proposed death penalty for 20-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the accused in the Boston Marathon bombings, "Jesus weeps ... again" at the injustice, the U.S. Conference of Major Superiors of Men said in a Feb. 19 statement.

Page 491 of 650