News/Canada
Catholic agencies plead for help as Ethiopian drought crisis worsens
By Michael Swan, The Catholic RegisterAs the worst Ethiopian drought in 60 years threatens as many as 20 million people living in more than half of Africa’s second largest country, Catholic aid agencies in the desperate nation are asking for help as the crisis continues into 2016.
St. Raphael’s community lives on after church closure
By Alan Hustak, Catholic Register SpecialMONTREAL - St. Raphael’s church may be closed, but a small group of parishioners refuse to let their parish die.
Catholic groups miss TRC target by $21 million
By Michael Swan, The Catholic RegisterA $21-million shortfall in Catholic fundraising has added another challenge to the task of reconciliation between Canadian churches and Native communities.
Diplomat tells students to live religious freedom boldly
By Alan Hustak, Catholic Register SpecialMONTREAL - The greatest threat to religious freedom in Canada is silence, Canada’s ambassador for Religious Freedom told more than 700 university students attending the Rise Up conference in Montreal.
Canada on track to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees, says ambassador
By Dale Gavlak, Catholic News ServiceAMMAN, Jordan - As a cautious world rang in the New Year with concerns over terrorism and security, Catholics in Canada were continuing to welcome Syrian refugees to their newly adopted homeland.
Canadian bishops, rabbinic caucus seek help for persecuted Christians
By Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic NewsOTTAWA - Canada’s Catholic bishops and the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus are asking the Canadian government to make it a priority to help persecuted Christians in the Middle East and Africa, whom Pope Francis and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks say face genocide.
Mercy conference for Chinese Catholics
By Catholic Register StaffTORONTO - Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, the Vatican’s Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will be the keynote speaker at a Jubilee Year of Mercy conference in Toronto on New Year’s weekend.
Reconciliation council needed as next step of TRC process
By Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic NewsOTTAWA - A National Council for Reconciliation is the next step in the process now that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission looking into abuses at Indian residential schools has completed its mandate, says lawyer Pierre Baribeau.
Family of Faith in final stages
By Evan Boudreau, The Catholic RegisterTORONTO - Despite this summer surpassing its $105-million goal, Toronto Catholics are still encouraged to donate to the archdiocese’s ambitious Family of Faith fundraising campaign.
Rights league vows to fight assisted suicide
By Jean Ko Din, The Catholic RegisterTORONTO - The fight over assisted suicide isn’t over yet. A day after a government advisory group released 43 recommendations calling for wide access to assisted suicide, the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) held its annual general meeting Dec. 15 to discuss its concerns and plans for the year ahead, a year when it seems likely Canada will legalized assisted suicide.
2015 Video Message for Christmas from the CCCB President
By Canadian Conference of Catholic BishopsThe Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., Bishop of Hamilton and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), has videotaped his message for Christmas and the New Year. Entitled Goodness abounds, Bishop Crosby refers similarly to the theme of mercy which the Church celebrates this month and throughout the coming year as the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. The production of this video has been made possible thanks to the collaboration with Salt + Light Television.