International News

News from outside of Canada.

Honduran cardinal gives insider's view on Pope, upcoming events

May 1, 2015

WASHINGTON - Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, offered teasing bits of insider information about Pope Francis' upcoming encyclical on the environment, on what he might say in the United States in the fall, and on what it was like to be in the conclave that elected Francis.

Amid Nepal’s shattered shrines and temples, a religious fatalism sets in

May 1, 2015

KATHMANDU, Nepal - When a 7.8-magnitude earthquake roared through this Himalayan nation April 25, leaving an estimated 5,500 dead and more than 11,000 injured, shrines and temples were sent crashing to the ground, many of them centuries old and irreplaceable cultural treasures.

Poverty advocates see the day when poverty is no more

April 30, 2015

WASHINGTON - With extreme poverty having been cut in half over the last generation — and the Millennium Development Goals target of poverty halving having been achieved five years ahead of the 2015 deadline — veterans of the global war on poverty believe it is possible that extreme poverty can be wiped out in the next 15 years.

Ruling against Belgian archbishop could spur claims for damages

April 30, 2015

OXFORD, England - A Belgian bishop said the president of the bishops' conference urged Catholics to respect a court judgment against him for failing to act on allegations of abuse.

U.S. high court considers place of same-sex marriage in states that bar it

April 29, 2015

WASHINGTON - The questions raised by U.S. Supreme Court justices as they considered April 28 whether they should rule that same-sex marriage should be made legal nationwide covered a gamut of rights concerns — religious, equal protection, states' ability to enact their own laws.

Pope prays for Nepal quake victims, sends donation, urges solidarity

April 29, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Santosh Kumar Magar said he was attending the ordination of a new priest in Okhaldhunga, a remote part of eastern Nepal, when the devastating magnitude-7.8 earthquake hit April 25.

Catholics join efforts to heal, clean up, move forward in Baltimore

April 29, 2015

BALTIMORE - As the city cleaned up after a night of riots, looting and fires following the funeral of Freddie Gray, Baltimore Archbishop William Lori said the Church's place is to pray, be a voice for peace and participate in a wider community dialogue to solve the systemic issues that led to the unrest.

Fleeting peace as Baltimore pays final respects to Freddie Gray

April 28, 2015

BALTIMORE - For four hours April 27, Freddie Gray Jr. was patiently and prayerfully memorialized. That peace, however, was extremely fragile.

Inclement weather, logistical issues delay aid for Nepal quake victims

April 28, 2015

KATHMANDU, Nepal - Inclement weather and logistical pressures were delaying aid to hundreds of thousands of Nepalese earthquake victims.

Christian exodus from Mideast weakens moderate Islam: Cardinal Rai

April 28, 2015

PARIS - The exodus of Christians from the Middle East — due to wars, conflicts, socio-economic crises and persecution — will weaken moderate Islam "which, thanks to the Islamic-Christian conviviality, is so far the vast majority of Muslims in the Middle East," said Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai.