International News

News from outside of Canada.

EU official: Release of Asia Bibi shows promise for religious freedom

September 12, 2019

BUDAPEST, Hungary (CNA) -- A European Union official who played a role in working for the release of Pakistani death row inmate Asia Bibi said the outcome shows the potential of international cooperation to promote religious freedom.

Sri Lankan government to conduct independent inquiry into Easter attacks

September 10, 2019

NEGOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has finally won a concession from Sri Lanka's government after widespread criticism of the investigation into the deadly Easter Sunday attacks.

Thousands protest law to force abortion on North Ireland

September 9, 2019

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (CNA) - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Belfast on Saturday to protest against the impending legalization of abortion in Northern Ireland. Pro-life advocates told CNA that they fear the proposed changes in the province could be used to legalize abortion on demand throughout the entirety of the United Kingdom.

Nuns break tradition with birthday party

September 6, 2019

KOLKATA, India -- Missionaries of Charity nuns in India celebrated the birthday of their order’s founder, St. Teresa of Kolkata, three years after her canonization, breaking a Catholic convention.

Catholic organizations provide aid in Florida for Dorian victims

September 6, 2019

MIAMI -- In the wake of Hurricane Dorian's brutal blasting of the Bahamas, Catholic organizations in Florida continued to raise funds to aid victims there.

Texas prison ministries bring sacraments and message of hope

September 6, 2019

SAN ANTONIO, TX. -- Crowding around a painted portrait of St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish friar who died in a German concentration camp during World War II, prison inmates and retreat leaders smiled for a group photo at a recent retreat.

Brazilian government should not fear October synod

September 5, 2019

SAO PAULO -- With a month to go before the start of the Synod of Bishops for Amazon, retired Bishop Erwin Krautler of Xingu said the Brazilian government should not fear the discussions to be held in Rome.

Investigation finds McCarrick sexually assaulted seminarians

September 5, 2019

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- A yearlong investigation by Seton Hall University confirmed that Theodore McCarrick, the laicized cardinal who had been archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000, had sexually harassed seminarians during his tenure as head of the archdiocese.

McCarrick denies abuse allegations in interview

September 4, 2019

WASHINGTON -- Theodore McCarrick, a former cardinal and archbishop of Washington who was laicized last February following a Vatican trial on sexual abuse charges leveled against him, continued to deny he had abused anyone in an August interview with the online journal Slate.

Catholics denounce attacks against Brazil's indigenous peoples in Amazon

September 4, 2019

SAO PAULO -- After denouncing the record number of wildfires in the Amazon in August and the growing deforestation of the region, the Brazilian Catholic Church is pressuring the government to guarantee the safety of several Amazonian indigenous peoples, alerting the authorities of the imminent risk of genocide in northern Brazil.