International News

News from outside of Canada.

Syrian refugees face new enemy: winter

January 14, 2013

AMMAN, Jordan - Snow, driving rain and howling winds in early January compounded the already desperate situation for Syrians caught up in 22 months of civil war seeking to oust President Bashar Assad.

C.S. Lewis inspires a new generation

January 12, 2013

OXFORD, ENGLAND - In a wooded suburb of this fabled university city, a battered typewriter sits on a desk beside a bay window that overlooks a tangled landscape of oaks and beeches. Nearby, ancient bookshelves guard a leather armchair surrounded by wall maps and pictures depicting a fantasy world.

Visiting bishops note strain recent events placed on Mideast countries

January 10, 2013

JERUSALEM - Bishops who traveled to the Holy Land to assess the local church's needs noted the "profound anxiety" that the "dark and dramatic events" of the past year have caused in the region.

German Church ends sex-abuse research inquiry, citing lack of trust

January 10, 2013

BERLIN - Germany's Catholic Church has withdrawn from an inquiry into sexual abuse by clergy, citing a breakdown of trust with researchers.

U.S. Supreme Court lets stand policy on embryonic stem-cell research funds

January 9, 2013

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 7 let stand a lower court order allowing government funding of research involving certain embryonic stem-cell lines.

Mexico has changed, but maybe not for better, says bishop

January 9, 2013

SALTILLO, Mexico - Although church-state relations have thawed in the past 25 years, Saltillo Bishop Raul Vera Lopez said he remains dissatisfied with government restrictions on religion.

Nigerian religious leaders can help followers end nation's crises

January 7, 2013

ABUJA, Nigeria - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan urged religious leaders to mold the characters of their followers to help stop the current crises facing the country.

Notre Dame football's rise paralleled Irish-Americans' societal ascent

January 7, 2013

WASHINGTON - As Notre Dame prepared to play Alabama Jan. 7 in U.S. college football's Bowl Championship Series title game, it seemed like the clash of the titans.

Calling Jews 'enemies' is 'unacceptable,' Vatican spokesman says

January 4, 2013

Updated 01/10/13 VATICAN CITY - The Catholic Church remains committed to deepening its relations with Jews and finds it "absolutely unacceptable" to consider the Jewish people as enemies, the Vatican spokesman said.

Vatican suspends acceptance of credit cards amid tension with regulator

January 4, 2013

VATICAN CITY -- Vatican City State vendors, including the Vatican Museums and supermarket, stopped accepting credit- and debit-card payments Jan. 1, citing technical difficulties amid unofficial reports of regulatory concerns by Italian financial authorities.