News/International

Philippine Coast Guard personnel rescue residents stranded by floods caused by Typhoon Rai in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, Dec. 16, 2021. The storm has claimed more than 200 lives and Caritas Philippines has appealed for donations to bolster its emergency response.

Caritas appeals for aid after typhoon claims over 200 lives in Philippines

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MANILA, Philippines -- Super Typhoon Rai has claimed more than 200 lives since making landfall in the Visayas and Mindanao region, Philippine authorities said.

A farmer walks past an abandon military tank in Ethiopia's Tigray region Dec. 7, 2021. International human rights organizations said the regional Amhara security forces and an allied militia known as Fano were responsible for a surge in mass detentions, killings and forced expulsions of ethnic Tigrayans.

Human rights groups raise alarm over new atrocities in Western Tigray

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NAIROBI, Kenya -- International human rights organizations have warned of a new wave of atrocities in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, as Catholic Church leaders continued to express concerns over the detention of priests, nuns and lay members.

A court gavel is seen in this illustration photo.

Catholic groups challenge federal mandate on gender transition procedures

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WASHINGTON -- Several Catholic hospitals, a Catholic university and Mercy sisters who run health clinics filed a challenge to a federal mandate for performing gender transition procedures with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit Dec. 15.

A general view shows a luminous star lit on a newly completed tower of the Basilica of the Holy Family.

New tower inaugurated at Barcelona basilica

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VATICAN CITY -- The newly completed Tower of the Virgin Mary at Barcelona’s Basilica of the Holy Family stands as a beacon of hope for those who suffer in the world today, Pope Francis said.

Debris surrounds a destroyed home in Mayfield, Ky., Dec. 11, 2021, after a devastating tornado ripped through the town. More than 30 tornadoes were reported across six states late Dec. 10, and early Dec. 11, killing dozens of people and leaving a trail of devastation.

Mourning, prayer and a resolve to rebuild follow devastating tornadoes

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MAYFIELD, Ky. -- Mourning, prayer and a resolve to rebuild shattered lives, homes and businesses in Mayfield followed one of the most powerful twisters in U.S. history that leveled the city of 10,000 in western Kentucky overnight Dec. 10.

Restorer Zacharias Zacharoudis works on the Gabriel door from 1770 at a workshop in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, Dec. 7, 2021. The restoration of the church required coordination involving more than 400 specialists and the need to maintain the liturgical schedule and to keep the doors open for pilgrims.

Restoration at Church of the Nativity shows what cooperation can do

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BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- When restoration on the Church of the Nativity's wooden beams and leaking roof began in 2013 with the blessing of the three custodial churches, everyone involved was aware of the historic significance of the venture. It was the first time in 540 years that any repair work was done on the church on the site where Jesus was born.

Police officers guard the site where Sir David Amess, a member of the governing Conservative Party, was stabbed while meeting constituents in Leigh-on-Sea, England, Oct. 15, 2021. Amess was one of the most prominent Catholic politicians in the U.K. Parliament.

Report identifies five European nations with increasing anti-Christian violence

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MANCHESTER, England -- Catholics are facing soaring levels of discrimination in some of the most influential countries in Europe, a new report said.

Pope Francis speaks as Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou looks on during a meeting with government authorities, civic leaders and the diplomatic corps at the presidential palace in Athens, Greece, Dec. 4, 2021.

World seeing ‘retreat’ from democracy: Pope Francis

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ATHENS, Greece -- From Aristotle to St. Gregory Nazianzus, and from the Acropolis to the olive tree, Pope Francis drew from Greek history and culture to appeal for a faith that is lived in good works and a politics that truly seeks the common good.

Refugees stand outside their shelters as Pope Francis visits the government-run Reception and Identification Center in Mytilene, Greece, Dec. 5.

At Lesbos refugee camp, Pope Francis urges attack on causes of migration, not those forced to flee

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MYTILENE, Greece -- Standing in a tent on the shore, Pope Francis said the Mediterranean Sea, “the cradle of so many civilizations, now looks like a mirror of death.”

Pope Francis answers questions from journalists aboard his flight from Athens, Greece, to Rome Dec. 6, 2021. The pope was concluding a five-day visit to Cyprus and Greece.

Pope Francis tells reporters Paris archbishop was hounded out by gossip

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ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO ROME -- Pope Francis told reporters he accepted the resignation of Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris because the archbishop's reputation had been destroyed, making it impossible for him to continue leading the French archdiocese.

Pope Francis walks with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades as he arrives for a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, Dec. 2, 2021.

Meeting Cypriot leaders, Pope Francis urges dialogue for peace, care for migrants

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NICOSIA, Cyprus -- Sympathizing with the Cypriot government and citizens feeling overwhelmed by an influx of migrants and refugees, Pope Francis urged them to remember their history as a crossroads and meeting place of people of different cultures and traditions.

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