News/International

VATICAN CITY - A 51-year-old man was severely injured after he set himself on fire in St. Peter's Square.

Mandela statue fitting end to mourning period, says ex-Cabinet member

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CAPE TOWN, South Africa - The unveiling of a statue of Nelson Mandela in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, was a fitting end to 10 days of mourning for the democracy icon, said Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, a South African priest who served in Mandela's Cabinet.

Chaldean patriarch says extremism threatens Christians and Muslims

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ROME - "Extremist political Islam is growing in the Middle East," prompting Christians to flee and causing death and upheaval among Christians and moderate Muslims alike, said the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church.

Fine line separates Advent, Christmas in the Philippines

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MANILA, PHILIPPINES - In the Philippines, the Christmas season starts in September, but the final nine days of Advent have special meaning.

Lonergan offers ‘therapy for confused cultures’

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ROME - Cultures confused about truth and allergic to all things definite can find a source of healing in the thought and method of late Canadian Jesuit Bernard Lonergan.

Indian prime minister apologizes after Christian marchers beaten

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NEW DELHI - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apologized to church leaders for the police beating of protesters -- including priests and nuns -- during a march to Parliament advocating for rights for low-caste Christians.

Mudslides protected ancient Vatican necropolis from ravages of time

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VATICAN CITY - Slipping hillsides of clay, mud and gravel entombed an enormous necropolis below today's Vatican City State, keeping its underground "city of the dead" safely sealed for two millennia.

Central African leaders tell of humanitarian crisis in Bangui

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OXFORD, England - Catholic leaders in the Central African Republic spoke of a humanitarian crisis and criticized attempts to fuel interreligious clashes in their nation.

Bishops lead protesters in prayer after night of police action in Kiev

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ROME - In the deep of the freezing night, security forces moved into Ukraine's Independence Square intent on dislodging protesters who had spent weeks talking, singing and praying for their country.

Mandela 'touched my heart, my soul, my life,' says ex-fellow prisoner

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JOHANNESBURG - Former South African President Nelson Mandela looked down on the tens of thousands of people gathered at his memorial service in Johannesburg and smiled as he watched them celebrate his legacy, said Andrew Mokete Mlangeni, a Catholic who was imprisoned for decades with the late anti-apartheid icon.

European body accepts Vatican report on fighting financial crime

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VATICAN CITY - A European body that investigates government efforts to combat financial crimes has confirmed the Vatican has made significant progress in reducing the risk that its institutions could be used for money laundering and financing terrorism.