International News

News from outside of Canada.

End violence by building bridges, Milwaukee priest urges Massgoers

August 22, 2016

MILWAUKEE – Violence stems from a breakdown in communication, Fr. Bob Stiefvater told more than 450 people gathered at All Saints Church in Milwaukee for a Mass of peace Aug. 18.

Filipino bishops question why drug crackdown seems to miss kingpins

August 22, 2016

MANILA, Philippines – Catholic and Protestant bishops in the Philippines have called for a "deeper analysis" of the spate of killings in the country that have been linked to the government's anti-narcotics campaign.

West won’t recognize Christian Mideast exodus

August 19, 2016

Middle Eastern Christians have suffered soft, state-sponsored discrimination since the Ottomans ruled and that discrimination has been reinforced over generations by poor, underfunded education systems throughout the region. More recently this evil brew has been stirred into feverish, bigoted campaigns of hate spread by Saudi-funded Wahhabi preachers.

Italian bishop likens ‘Pokemon Go’ to totalitarian Nazism

August 19, 2016

ROME – An Italian bishop has threatened to take legal action against “Pokemon Go,” describing the game as “diabolical” and a “totalitarian system like Nazism.”

In Puerto Rico, mistrust fuels more public doubt than urgency on Zika

August 18, 2016

SAN GERMAN, Puerto Rico – Mistrust of local government and federal agencies has caused doubt among Puerto Ricans about reports the Zika epidemic poses a grave situation to the island.

Philippine villagers claim victory over nickel mining firm

August 18, 2016

MANILA, Philippines – Residents of a small island in the central Philippines hailed a government order that stopped one of the country's largest mining firms from removing nickel ore stockpiles from their village.

Congolese bishops optimistic about offer to mediate peace talks

August 17, 2016

OXFORD, England – An official of the Congolese bishops' conference said he is optimistic that the government and opposition will work with them to restart peace talks.

French president meets Pope to thank him after terrorist attacks

August 17, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis met privately at the Vatican with French President Francois Hollande, who said he felt it necessary to thank the Pope in person for his words after the slaying of a French priest and other terrorist attacks in France.

Police, Muslims seek answers after cleric and associate killed in Queens

August 16, 2016

NEW YORK – Police were questioning a possible suspect in the double homicide of a popular imam and his associate in Queens but there was still no clear motive even as the shocking daylight murders were becoming a flashpoint in the national debate over anti-Islamic rhetoric.

Catholic Relief uses lessons learned from Ebola to fight Zika in Cape Verde

August 16, 2016

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – The dust had hardly settled on Catholic Relief Services' work fighting the world's worst Ebola outbreak before the team was putting together a response to the Zika virus in the West African island nation of Cape Verde.