International News

News from outside of Canada.

Pope's visit comes at time of hope for Cubans

September 3, 2015

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Pope Francis' visit to Cuba is a sign of his closeness to the nation's people at a time they "breathe the air of hope" that relations with the United States will improve, said Bishop Wilfredo Pino Estevez of Guantanamo-Baracoa.

Church supports Indians on nationwide strike

September 2, 2015

NEW DELHI - The Catholic Church in India supported some 150 million workers on a nationwide strike that shut down factories, banks, traffic and government offices across India Sept. 2.

Observers expect Pope Francis to affirm and challenge politicians during visit

September 1, 2015

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner -- two high-profile Catholic politicians -- the visual of Pope Francis' Sept. 24 address to Congress will signal an evolving narrative.

Beware making Mideast Christians 'collateral damage,' patriarch warns

September 1, 2015

Updated 03/09/15 MARKHAM, ONT. - Christians in the Middle East should not be considered as collateral damage of the wars in Syria and Iraq, says Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II during his first apostolic visit to Canada.

Pope Francis asks prayers for refugees after 71 found dead in truck

August 31, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis joined Austrian church leaders in praying for the 71 refugees found dead in an abandoned truck near Vienna and he condemned the smuggling of migrants as an offense "against the whole human family."

Serra’s canonization triggers controversy

August 30, 2015

Blessed Junipero Serra’s motto was “always forward, never back.” But as the date nears for his canonization by Pope Francis, Serra’s life of faithful evangelization is being fiercely — and many say unfairly — questioned by detractors who insist on looking back into the life and times of the 18th-century missionary priest.

New Orleans Archdiocese: Forever changed by Hurricane Katrina

August 29, 2015

NEW ORLEANS - They are calling it "Kat 10" — Hurricane Katrina plus 10 years — which carries with it the double meaning of an ominous meteorological warning.

Nigerian cardinal joins #BringBackOurGirls to mark 500 days of captivity

August 28, 2015

ABUJA, Nigeria - Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja and Sheik Nura Khalid, chief imam of Apo Legislators Quarters Jumu'at Mosque, joined the members of the #BringBackOurGirls movement Aug. 27 to mark the 500 days that more than 200 girls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, who were abducted by Boko Haram in their dormitory April 14, 2014.

CRS worker says Mali violence has not disrupted Christian-Muslim ties

August 28, 2015

OXFORD, England - A Catholic aid worker in Mali said Islamist violence failed to disrupt friendly ties between Christians and Muslims, and he called for a coordinated development strategy as "the best means to combat extremism."

Philippine bishops: Look at family planning through lens of faith

August 28, 2015

MANILA, Philippines - More than a year after a controversial reproductive health law took effect in the Philippines, the Church was mustering clergy and lay workers to reignite the formation of the faithful with regard to family planning.