International News

News from outside of Canada.

Womb transplants raise ethical concerns

January 26, 2014

TORONTO - Doctors in Sweden are one step closer to giving women without a womb a chance to give birth to their own child, but their groundbreaking procedure is raising ethical eyebrows in Catholic circles.

Christians share hopes, fears under new constitutions in Egypt, Tunisia

January 24, 2014

CAIRO - Moneer Fawzy recalls that he has spent much of his life exposed to diatribes aimed at him and Egypt's Christians who make up about 10 percent of the nation's mostly Sunni Muslim populace of more than 85 million.

Study shows increased hostility toward religion

January 24, 2014

WASHINGTON - A Pew Research Centre study issued Jan. 14 shows another increase in hostility toward religion by most of the world’s 198 nations.

Vatican observer calls for concrete steps toward peace in Syria

January 23, 2014

VATICAN CITY - International leaders and representatives of various Syrian factions now engaged in peace talks must give "priority to negotiations over guns (and) to people over inordinate power," said the Vatican's observer at the talks.

Despite prayers, Syrians hold little hope for peace in Geneva II talks

January 22, 2014

AMMAN, Jordan - Raising olive branches, Christians from Catholic and Orthodox congregations crowded into a packed church in the Jordanian capital and sang the Lord's Prayer together in Arabic.

Vatican bank investigated cleric arrested again by Italian authorities

January 22, 2014

VATICAN CITY - Summarizing efforts made in 2013 to improve transparency and compliance with international standards for financial operations, the Vatican bank confirmed that it conducted a "detailed investigation" of the accounts held by a monsignor arrested by Italian police for the second time Jan. 21.

Vatican confirms Obama will visit Pope in March

January 22, 2014

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at the Vatican March 27, the White House announced and the Vatican confirmed.

At start of peace talks, Pope calls for urgent end to violence in Syria

January 22, 2014

VATICAN CITY - As world leaders gathered in the hopes of finding a peaceful solution to Syria's three-year-long brutal conflict, Pope Francis asked that they spare no effort in bringing an end to the violence.

Ukraine church urges return to peace amid spiraling street violence

January 21, 2014

OXFORD, England - The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church appealed for calm as violence worsened between police and pro-European Union demonstrators in Kiev, Ukraine.

Patriarch calls for prayers for success of peace conference on Syria

January 20, 2014

BEIRUT - The president of the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchs in Syria appealed for people to pray for the success of the Syrian peace conference set to start in Geneva Jan. 22.