International News

News from outside of Canada.

Caritas leader sees 'Francis effect' at work on the ground

May 9, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Catholic charities around the world have no doubt about the reality of a "Francis effect" on their work. Because of the ongoing global economic crisis, most of the 164 national Catholic charities that form the Caritas Internationalis confederation report no significant increase in donations. However, the secretary-general of the Vatican-based network says Pope Francis has had a huge impact on their programs and priorities, on the number of volunteers and, especially, on their sharing.

Muslim Kosovars rediscover their long-forgotten Roman Catholic roots

May 9, 2015

BROD, Kosovo - The Catholic priest followed the village elders up a narrow road that curved between the green hills in the tiny hamlet of Gjonaj in southern Kosovo.

French court orders removal of St. John Paul II statue from town square

May 8, 2015

VATICAN CITY - A French court has told authorities in Ploermel, France, to remove the small town's statue of St. John Paul II on claims the statue's placement in a public square violated the separation of church and state.

Resilient Nepalis will rebuild, Jesuit says

May 8, 2015

The April 25 earthquake that killed more than 8,000 and left close to 15,000 injured was bad, but “it could have been terribly, terribly worse,” said Canadian Jesuit Father Bill Robins.

Cardinal calls Catholics, Jews to continue building unity through God

May 7, 2015

NEW YORK - Catholics and Jews risk losing their hard-won interfaith amity if they take ecumenism for granted and fail to pass it along to a new generation of seminarians and laity, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York said in an address at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Iraq without Christians is not Iraq, cardinal told

May 7, 2015

IRBIL, Iraq - The head of the Vatican's Congregation for Eastern Churches visited Iraq to convey Pope Francis' blessing and concern for Church officials and the displaced living and working in difficult circumstances.

At Expo 2015, Vatican pavilion offers space for learning, relaxation

May 4, 2015

MILAN - The Holy See's official pavilion at the Milan Expo 2015, the newest edition of the every-five-years world's fair, will be a public space of relaxation and learning.

Week after quake, trucks of aid begin reaching remote areas of Nepal

May 4, 2015

KATHMANDU, Nepal - Truckloads of relief material organized by church charities began moving across Nepal a week after the Himalayan nation was rocked by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake April 25.

Columban priest targets child traffickers in Philippine ministry

May 2, 2015

WASHINGTON - Arriving in the Philippines from Ireland in 1969 as a young missionary priest, Columban Father Shay Cullen hardly expected he'd end up fighting a burgeoning sex industry.

Vatican pushes ahead with sainthood for Junipero Serra

May 1, 2015

Despite growing resistance from some Native Americans and U.S. Catholics, the Vatican on May 2 will host an event to celebrate the life of Junípero Serra, the Spanish missionary priest whom Pope Francis plans to canonize during his upcoming American tour.