International News

News from outside of Canada.

Kenyan bishops mourn six who died en route to Catholic celebrations

June 13, 2012

NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya's Catholic bishops mourned the deaths of six people killed in an air crash en route to Catholic celebrations in the western part of the country. Among those killed were Minister of Internal Security George Saitoto, a Catholic; his assistant minister, Joshua Orwa Ojode; their two bodyguards, the pilot and co-pilot. Their helicopter, en route to the Diocese of Homa Bay, crashed in Ngong shortly after takeoff from Nairobi June 10.

Vatican set to control new '.catholic' Internet domain

June 13, 2012

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican is in line to control the new Internet address extension ".catholic" and decide who is allowed to use it. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a nonprofit corporation that coordinates the assignment of Internet domain names and addresses around the world, announced the Vatican's formal application June 13 in London.

Plea goes out for African famine aid

June 13, 2012

WASHINGTON - Millions of people in West Africa’s Sahel region face severe food shortages that could be catastrophic if international aid falls short in the coming weeks, according to representatives of Catholic and other humanitarian organizations. “The crisis is already here. People are already starving in some parts of the region,” said Bill Worms, Sahel communications officer for Caritas Internationalis in Rome.

Technology brings change to Vatican communications

June 13, 2012

VATICAN CITY - Vatican Radio will end its short- and medium-wave broadcasts to Europe and North and South America July 1, and a month later the Vatican press office will close the Vatican Information Service, a multilingual daily summary of papal speeches and appointments. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office and of Vatican Radio, announced the changes June 12, saying they were responses to developments in technology and would save the Vatican money.

Cardinal Ouellet, representing Pope, meets with Irish abuse victims

June 13, 2012

DUBLIN - Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, representing Pope Benedict XVI, met with Irish victims of church-related child abuse. The cardinal, papal legate to the International Eucharistic Congress, met with the victims of institutional and clerical abuse during a pilgrimage to Lough Derg in Country Donegal June 12 and 13.

Speakers stand up for marriage at eucharistic congress

June 12, 2012

DUBLIN - The Catholic Church is under attack "partly because of the sins of some of its leaders, but mainly because of its uncompromising teachings" on marriage, said an Australian archbishop. "Faced with this, the Church can either compromise and face irrelevance, or continue to teach Christ's truth about marriage, life and love, and pray that the world will listen," Archbishop Barry Hickey, retired archbishop of Perth, told pilgrims at the International Eucharistic Congress June 12. His comments followed those of Canadian Cardinal Marc Oullet who earlier urged Catholics to use the resource of the family to confront the challenges of secularized societies.

Church leaders tell pilgrims Ireland on path to renewal

June 11, 2012

DUBLIN - The church in Ireland is on the path to renewal, Church leaders told pilgrims at the opening Mass of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress June 10. Welcoming pilgrims from more than 120 countries at an open-air Mass, Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said: "The church in Ireland rejoices today in the presence of pilgrims from many parts of the world who witness to the universality of our Catholic faith and who show their faith-filled fellowship and solidarity with the Church in Ireland."

Ahead of Euro 2012, Pope says team sports teach values like self-sacrifice, respect

June 8, 2012

VATICAN CITY - Team sports such as soccer can educate participants and spectators in important values, including self-sacrifice and respect for one's adversaries, Pope Benedict XVI said in a message to participants in the European Championships soccer tournament. Group sporting events, he said, are "an important school for educating one in the meaning of respect for others -- including the opposing team -- the spirit of personal sacrifice for the good of the whole group," and in the importance of recognizing the talents and skills of each person on a team.

Economic recovery must focus on jobs, protecting workers, says Vatican official

June 7, 2012

VATICAN CITY - Economic recovery needs to focus on job creation, especially for young adults, and protecting workers, a Vatican official said. "The path forward to an effective recovery presupposes a new vision and strategic investments to provide employment and to sustain enterprises," said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's permanent observer to U.N. agencies based in Geneva.

SSPX head says group does not have to accept all Vatican II teachings

June 7, 2012

VATICAN CITY - The leader of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X said talks with the Vatican demonstrate that "Rome no longer makes total acceptance" of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council a condition for his group's full reconciliation with the church. Accepting the council's teaching is no longer "a prerequisite for the canonical solution" of the status of the society, said Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the SSPX. In an interview published June 7 on the society's news site, www.dici.org, Bishop Fellay said it was the Vatican that approached the society, and not the society that went to the Vatican, asking to begin the talks.