News/International

Bishop Gavin Ashenden of the Christian Episcopal Church will become a Catholic Dec. 22, 2019, at Shrewsbury Catholic cathedral in England. He is pictured in a Dec. 16 photo outside the cathedral.

Anglican Bishop, former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth, to become Catholic

By

SHREWSBURY, England -- A former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II is to be received into the Catholic Church.

Archbishop Luigi Ventura meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2018.

Pope Francis accepts resignation of nuncio to France accused of misconduct

By

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Luigi Ventura, the nuncio to France, who has been under investigation for sexual misconduct in France and in Canada.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson waves after meeting with Queen Elizabeth in London to ask for permission to form a government Dec.13, 2019. In the Dec. 12 general election, Johnson's Conservatives won a majority of 80 seats, the largest for his party since Margaret Thatcher won a third term in 1987.

Following election, U.K. bishop urges vigilance on issues

By

MANCHESTER, England -- A British bishop said he was relieved by the election defeat of political parties committed to liberalizing Britain's abortion laws, but he was "not particularly enthused" by the Conservative Party agenda. A British cardinal called for a fresh start "in more ways than politics."

Australian senators debate in Parliament House in Canberra Dec. 4, 2019. The Australian government has released its second "exposure draft" of its controversial religious discrimination legislation, winning praise from faith groups, including the Catholic bishops.

Faith groups praise Australia's religious discrimination legislation

By

CANBERRA, Australia -- The Australian government has released its second "exposure draft" of its religious discrimination legislation, winning widespread praise from faith groups, including the Catholic bishops, following changes to the original legislation released in October.

The bell tower of Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Franklin Lakes, N.J., is seen standing Dec. 12, 2019, after a fire destroyed the rest of the church the previous morning. One person suspected of arson is in custody, officials said. The structure was gutted by the flames, and as the news spread through the small town, neighbors, some of whom have been a part of the congregation for decades, flocked to the scene.

Fire destroys New Jersey church; suspected arsonist arrested

By

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. -- After a fire destroyed Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Franklin Lakes in the early hours of Dec. 11, the suspected arsonist was arrested. He was receiving burn treatment at a local hospital prior to his court hearing.

Police stand at the scene Dec. 11, 2019, of a gun battle that took place the day before involving two men around a kosher market in Jersey City, N.J. Six people, including a police officer and three bystanders, were killed in a furious battle that filled the streets of Jersey City with the sound of heavy gunfire for hours, authorities said.

Students kept safe in N.J. Catholic school during nearby gun battle

By

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CNS) -- Sacred Heart Catholic School in Jersey City reopened Dec. 12, with a heavy police presence outside, two days after deadly gun battle took place at a kosher supermarket across the street from the school.

In this 2017 file photo, former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington is pictured in Baltimore, Md.

McCarrick abuse survivor sues Vatican

By

NEW YORK -- John Bellocchio, 37, who claims former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick abused him when he was a teenager, announced at a Dec. 9 news conference the he is suing the Vatican and demanding "sweeping child protection changes."

Metropolitan Police Department personnel are seen Dec. 10, 2019, on the campus of The Catholic University of America in Washington. A suspect struck a female security guard with a car in the parking lot of the nearby Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and stabbed another male security guard inside the basilica. The suspect is in custody.

Guards attacked at national shrine in D.C.

By

WASHINGTON -- Washington authorities apprehended a suspect in an incident involving an attack Dec. 10 against two security guards at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Marian shrine in the United States, at the height of its busiest season.

Matthias Kopp, spokesman for the German bishops' conference, is pictured in Stuttgart Sept. 13, 2013.

German Catholics complete final preparations for 'synodal way'

By

OXFORD, England -- German Catholics insisted their national "synodal way" reform consultation will have an impact on the church worldwide, as final preparations were completed for the consultation's first plenary in January.

Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria, Ill., hands a copy of the "positio" on Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's life to Father James O'Brien, representing the late Cardinal Francis E. George and the Archdiocese of Chicago, during a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria Sept. 9, 2012. Supporters of the canonization cause for Archbishop Sheen are invited to participate in a nine-day novena starting Dec. 12, 2019, to "petition God unceasingly to remove all obstacles" for the beatification of the media pioneer, author and evangelist. Archbishop Sheen's beatification was scheduled for Dec. 21 but has been postponed.

Catholics urged to pray novena for Archbishop Sheen's beatification

By

PEORIA, Ill. -- Supporters of the canonization cause for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen have been invited to take part in a novena starting Dec. 12 to "petition God unceasingly to remove all obstacles" for the beatification of the media pioneer, author and evangelist.

Venezuelan refugee Dellana Maria Rodriguez, pictured Nov. 22, 2019, took advantage of the AVSI refugee relocation program and now works as a quality manager at Goob Beverages outside Salvador, Brazil. Rodriguez used to live on the border between Brazil and Venezuela.

Catholic entities step up to help Venezuelan refugees get jobs in Brazil

By

SALVADOR, Brazil -- Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled their economically stricken and politically volatile country. Many have crossed over the border into Brazil and Colombia seeking a better life.

Page 6 of 571