International News

News from outside of Canada.

Bishops visiting Holy Land call for help for 'shocking scandal' in Gaza

January 16, 2014

JERUSALEM - Bishops from North America, Europe and Africa called on international leaders to act immediately so people living in the Gaza Strip can have access to basic necessities.

Vatican representatives testify before UN committee looking at abuse

January 16, 2014

VATICAN CITY - Testifying before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, a Vatican representative acknowledged the horror of clerical sexual abuse and insisted the Vatican was serious about protecting children.

Collins appointed to Vatican bank oversight commission

January 15, 2014

Updated 01/16/14 VATICAN CITY - Toronto's Cardinal Thomas Collins is one of four cardinals Pope Francis has appointed to a five-person commission overseeing the Vatican bank.

Filipino figure skater who can't always afford coach turns to prayer

January 15, 2014

MANILA, Philippines - In the lobby of a luxury hotel, Michael Christian Martinez balanced on one leg and swung the other forward. The lanky 17-year-old was on the ball of his foot and looked like he was about to spring upward into the air.

Ukrainian Catholic Church accuses government of Soviet-era repression

January 15, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine - The Ukrainian Catholic Church has accused the government of Soviet-style repression after it was threatened with new restrictions for backing demonstrators protesting the country's withdrawal from a deal with the European Union.

Mideast Catholic leaders give mixed reactions after death of Sharon

January 14, 2014

JERUSALEM - Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a controversial figure in Israel and abroad, died Jan. 11 after being in a coma following a stroke eight years ago. He was laid to rest at his Negev farm Jan. 13.

Tamil bishops seek inquiry into final stages of Sri Lanka's ethnic war

January 14, 2014

BANGALORE, India - Two Tamil bishops in Sri Lanka joined a call for an independent inquiry into reported war crimes in the closing stages of the protracted ethnic war in the Indian Ocean island nation in 2009.

Experts at Vatican workshop call for end of weapons flow to Syria

January 14, 2014

VATICAN CITY - A Vatican study group is urging world leaders to stop the flow of arms into Syria and to press for an immediate and complete cease-fire there with no political preconditions.

Cardinal reports progress in reform as Legionaries start chapter

January 10, 2014

ROME - As the Legionaries of Christ started their extraordinary general chapter, the cardinal overseeing the troubled congregation said scandal had taken a toll on its finances, but that members had made progress in overcoming the moral and administrative legacy of their disgraced founder.

Central African bishops say conflict mischaracterized as religious

January 9, 2014

OXFORD, England - Catholic bishops in the Central African Republic criticized media portrayals of their country's conflict as religious in nature and listed preconditions for restoring peace and effective governance.