International News

News from outside of Canada.

Pope Benedict returns to public eye for Mass with former students

September 3, 2013

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI emerged briefly from prayerful retreat to celebrate Mass with a group of his former doctoral students.

Western church leaders warn against intervention in Syria

September 2, 2013

WASHINGTON - As speculation mounted about Western air strikes on Syria, a committee of U.S. bishops called for a political solution, and Catholic leaders in Europe warned military intervention could lead to an escalation of hostilities.

Many of Egypt's Christians think U.S. has aligned with the wrong side

September 1, 2013

CAIRO - Two weeks after the churches he used to pray in were ransacked and burned in the Egyptian port city of Suez, Istafanos Youssif sat "searching for God" in a Cairo convent.

Nigerian violence rooted in politics, economics

September 1, 2013

TORONTO - As if church bombings weren’t bad enough, northern Nigeria is also suffering from oversimplification in Western media reports. Reports of Islamist terrorism directed at Christians in Nigeria very often lack context and depth, said Bishops Anselm Umoren, auxiliary bishop of Abuja, Nigeria.

Egypt not condemning hate speech, patriarch says

August 30, 2013

CAIRO - Egypt’s new interim government is doing nothing to prevent hate speech, which is inciting violence, said a prominent Egyptian Catholic leader.

Russian Church taking no stance on Olympic boycott

August 29, 2013

WARSAW, POLAND - Calls for an Olympic boycott because of a Russian law banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” have become “highly politicized” and will not draw a response from the Russian Church, said an official of the Russian bishops’ conference.

Pope, Jordanian king say dialogue only hope for Syrian peace

August 29, 2013

VATICAN CITY - Dialogue and negotiations are "the only option for putting an end to the conflict and violence" in Syria, said Pope Francis and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Syrian-born patriarch says, 'Enough with the intervention'

August 28, 2013

BEIRUIT - Syrian-born Melkite Catholic Patriarch Gregoire III Laham warned against armed intervention in his country, saying, "It has brought us to the tragedy we are now living in Syria."

U.S., other nations weighing response to chemical attack in Syria

August 28, 2013

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry were consulting with other world leaders about how to respond to Syria's apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians.

Pope to meet Jordan's king, discuss ongoing strife in Middle East

August 27, 2013

VATICAN CITY - As international leaders increasingly discussed the possibility of some form of armed intervention in Syria, the Vatican announced Pope Francis would interrupt the last week of his summer break in order to meet Aug. 29 with Jordan's King Abdullah II.