International News

News from outside of Canada.

Former street kids want Pope to visit during Philippines papal visit

January 14, 2015

MANILA, Philippines - Father Matthieu Dauchez knows the children he works with are not the only poor people in the Philippines, but that has not stopped him from lobbying loudly and praying constantly that Pope Francis will stop by.

In Madhu, pope tells Sri Lankans reconciliation requires repentance

January 14, 2015

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Pope Francis told Sri Lankans seeking reconciliation after two-and-a-half decades of civil war that, before they can forgive each other, they must repent of their own sins.

German Catholics criticize anti-Islam marches, but urge understanding

January 14, 2015

OXFORD, England - German Church leaders have criticized an anti-Islamic movement that staged mass demonstrations in Dresden and other cities, but they also urged a better understanding of public fears.

Pope proclaims Joseph Vaz Sri Lanka's first saint

January 14, 2015

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Canonizing Sri Lanka's first saint, who ministered to Catholics under persecution three centuries earlier, Pope Francis proclaimed what he called the "fundamental human right" of religious freedom.

Funding for D&P to help Iraqi refugees through winter

January 14, 2015

Thousands of refugees who fled Mosul, Iraq, six months ago, now living in tents near the border with Turkey, will get more stable and winter-ready housing thanks to an extra $2.4 million in government funding given to the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

Filipino Catholic media already planning follow-up to papal visit

January 14, 2015

MANILA, Philippines - Long before Pope Francis left the Vatican for his January trip to Asia, Jesuit Father Emmanuel "Nono" Alfonso and his colleagues were already working on the "what's next" part of hosting a papal trip.

Bishops see signs of resilience in Gaza, despite destruction

January 13, 2015

BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Despite the immense destruction still evident in Gaza following the war there last summer, the resilience of the people gave hope to 16 bishops of the Holy Land Coordination during their visit to the Gaza Strip Jan. 11-12.

Pope tells Sri Lankans reconciliation means dialogue, 'pursuit of truth'

January 13, 2015

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Arriving in Sri Lanka, a country recovering from two-and-a-half decades of ethnic and religious civil war, Pope Francis said reconciliation would require its people to explore their painful recent history and accept persistent differences within their multicultural society.

France ponders its response to shootings: Will xenophobia or multiculturalism win?

January 13, 2015

PARIS - As France emerges from its worst terrorist attack in decades, a biting novel that imagines the country governed by Islamic law is part of a swirling debate about its basic values. Will the country respond to the shootings with fear and xenophobia, as suggested by the book“Soumission, or Submission — or embrace its multicultural, multifaith identity?

Report: Christians face worsening mistreatment; North Korea tops list

January 12, 2015

OXFORD, England - An international report has warned that Christians face worsening mistreatment worldwide and called for "urgent action" by Western governments and church leaders.