News/International

A woman prays during a service at a church in late September for victims of the attack by Somali's al-Shabaab militia group at the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya. Bishop Giorgio Bertin of Djibouti, who also serves as apostolic administrator of Mogadishu , Somalia, said foreign intervention in the fight against al-Shabaab is necessary though not an absolute requirement.

Foreign intervention against al-Shabaab necessary, church leader says

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NAIROBI, Kenya - Foreign intervention in the fight against al-Shabaab militants in Somalia is necessary, but not an absolute requirement, said the leader of the Catholic Church in Somalia.

Here is a view of the damaged Basilica Minore Del Santo Nino de Cebu after an earthquake struck Cebu City, Philippines, Oct. 15. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck central Philippines that day, killing dozens and damaging structures.

Church leaders assess damage after strong quake in central Philippines

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BOHOL, Philippines - Bishop Leonardo Medroso of Tagbilaran said the church in central Philippines was still assessing damage after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake left dozens dead.

A Muslim demonstrator displays a placard to members of the media outside a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jan. 8. Some Muslims protested a recent court decision that allows a Malaysian Catholic newspaper to use the word Allah to describe God. The pla card reads: "Allah is one, not two, not three, not four. Allah is one and only."

Malaysian court rules Catholic newspaper cannot use 'Allah'

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A Malaysian court said a Catholic newspaper may not use the word "Allah" to refer to God in its Malay-language edition.

At least 13 dead as boat carrying pilgrims capsizes in Amazon

At least 13 dead as boat carrying pilgrims capsizes in Amazon

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SAO PAULO - At least 13 people died and five were reported missing after a boat carrying devotees of Our Lady of Nazareth capsized in the Amazon River.

An aerial view shows Limburg Cathedral and, to the left ,the bishop's residence along the Lahn River in Germany Oct. 14. Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, the German bishops' conference president and recently retired archbishop of Freibug, said he is followin g with "great attention and great concern" the case of the Limburg bishop, accused of making false statements in court and under fire for allegedly spending close to $40 million to renovate his residence and diocesan offices.

German bishops' conference investigating multimillion building project

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VATICAN CITY - The president of the German bishops' conference said he is following with "great attention and great concern" the case of a bishop accused of making false statements in court and under fire for allegedly spending close to $40 million in renovations and new construction on his residence and diocesan offices.

A woman holds up a sign during a prayer service for peace at the Melkite Catholic patriarchate in Damascus, Syria, on Sept. 7. 2013. Melkite Archbishop Issam Darwich of Zahleh and Furzol, Lebanon has refocused much of his ministry on providing encouragement, food and other aid to thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing their country's two-and-a-half-year-old civil war.

Melkite archbishop in Lebanon leads outreach to Syrian refugees

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LARNACA, Cyprus - Melkite Archbishop Issam Darwich of Zahleh and Furzol, Lebanon, knows what it's like to be a stranger in strange land.

Pope meets Rome Jews, commemorates deportations to Auschwitz

Pope meets Rome Jews, commemorates deportations to Auschwitz

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VATICAN CITY - At a meeting with members of Rome's Jewish community, Pope Francis denounced anti-Semitism and recalled the 1943 deportation of more than 1,000 of the city's Jews to the most notorious Nazi death camp -- an incident that has proven a major source of tension between the papacy and Jewish leaders.

The San Martin open-pit gold mine in Palo Ralo, Honduras, is pictured in a 2007 photo.

Church workers: Honduran mine concessions fuel human rights abuses

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Four years after a coup d'etat threw Honduras into crisis, church workers said human rights abuses continue unabated, fueled by disputes over mining concessions.

Vatican takes another step in promoting financial transparency

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VATICAN CITY - With the adoption of a detailed new law on financial transparency, vigilance and information, the Vatican has almost completely revamped its finance laws in less than three years, the Vatican spokesman said.

Britain's top prosecutor confirms gender-based abortions are legal

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MANCHESTER, England - Abortions on grounds of gender are legal in Britain, the country's top prosecutor clarified in a letter to the government.

Muslim leader says pope is model of what religious leader should be

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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis, like Islam's Sufi mystic theologians and poets, "is trying to do good for the sake of the Good One, motivated by love and compassion," said the president of the Islamic Affairs Council of Maryland.

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