International News

News from outside of Canada.

Storms batter Alaska coast; Catholic institutions largely spared

November 11, 2011

WASHINGTON - The Catholic parish and the Catholic radio station in Nome, Alaska -- with a population of 3,600, one of the largest outposts on the western Alaska coast -- escaped the worst of the damage wrought by a severe storm that slammed into the state from the Bering Sea. St. Joseph Parish and KNOM, a radio ministry of the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, were largely spared because they were three blocks inland from the shore. Homes and businesses within two blocks of the shore were strongly advised to evacuate because of the storm, which lasted two days. Nome recorded wind gusts as high at 61 mph. Ric Schmidt, KNOM's general manager, said the intensity of the storm was equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.

Church can be held liable for crimes of clergy, British court rules

November 10, 2011

MANCHESTER, England - A British court has ruled that the Catholic Church can be held legally liable for the crimes of abusive clergy. The Nov. 8 ruling by the High Court in London for the first time defined in British law the relationship of a priest to his bishop as that of an employee to an employer, instead of seeing the priest as effectively self-employed. This means that a bishop and a diocese can be punished for the crimes of a priest. Survivors' groups hope that it will also mean that many people who claim to have been abused by clergy will be able to claim compensation more easily.

2012 papal trip to Mexico, Cuba being studied seriously

November 10, 2011

VATICAN CITY - Vatican officials are at an advanced stage in studying the possibility of a papal trip to Mexico and Cuba in the spring of 2012, the Vatican spokesman said. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the spokesman, told reporters Nov. 10 that the nuncios to Mexico and Cuba have been told to inform those governments that "the pope is studying a concrete plan to visit the two countries, responding to the invitations received" from them.

In Benin, pope to outline church's pastoral direction in Africa

November 9, 2011

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI is making his second trip as pope to Africa in mid-November, spending three days in Benin and presenting an important document on the future of the church on the continent. Benin is a small West African nation with little international influence. But its 150-year history of Christianity, its multi-ethnic and multifaith identity, and its struggles for social justice make the country an ideal platform for the Pope's message. The Nov. 18-20 trip features meetings with government leaders, a speech to non-Christian leaders and an encounter with children at a local parish. The 84-year-old Pope will deliver 10 major talks at 16 events in Benin, spending most of his time in Cotonou, but also visiting the coastal city of Ouidah.

Redemptorists urge Hanoi Catholics to remain calm after attacks

November 8, 2011

HANOI, Vietnam - Redemptorists at a Hanoi parish have urged local Catholics to keep calm after a mob led by government officials attacked a convent and church in early November. The Asian church news agency UCA News reported tens of thousands of people attended 10 special Masses celebrated Nov. 5-6 at Thai Ha Church in the capital. Each Mass was attended by an estimated 3,000-5,000 people.

Vatican partners with company to discuss stem-cell research

November 8, 2011

VATICAN CITY - New biotechnologies raise questions in the fields of medicine, economics, ethics and philosophy, and the Vatican plans to look at all of them during a three-day conference devoted to adult stem-cell research, officials said. The Pontifical Council for Culture partnered with NeoStem, Inc., a U.S. company researching and marketing adult stem-cell therapies, to sponsor the Nov. 9-11 international conference, "Adult Stem Cells: Science and the Future of Man and Culture."

Pope urges Germany to defend all human life

November 7, 2011

VATICAN CITY - After the Nazi atrocities of the World War II, Germany's new constitution recognized the dignity of each human being, a value that is starting to be questioned in the country, Pope Benedict XVI said. "Only a society that respects and unconditionally defends the dignity of every person from conception to natural death can call itself a humane society," the Pope said Nov. 7 as he welcomed Reinhard Schweppe as Germany's new ambassador to the Holy See.

Pope condemns violence in Nigeria, prays for victims

November 7, 2011

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI appealed for an end to violence in Nigeria and prayed for victims of the most recent wave of civil conflict there. "I am following with concern the tragic incidents that have occurred in recent days in Nigeria. As I pray for the victims, I call for an end to all violence, which never solves problems, but only increases them, sowing hatred and division even among believers," the Pope said.

Coptic Catholic leader warns of growing Christian-Muslim rift in Egypt

November 4, 2011

FRIBOURG, Switzerland - The patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church in Egypt blamed Islamic fundamentalists for the increasing number of attacks on Christians and criticized a growing division between Muslims and Christians since the country's February revolution. Speaking at St. Nicolas Cathedral in Fribourg, Switzerland, during a day of prayer for persecuted Catholics, Cardinal Antonios Naguib, Coptic Catholic patriarch of Alexandria, said the links between Muslims and Catholics that were reinforced in the period just after the revolution have deteriorated.

Pope says Ivory Coast needs truth, reconciliation after civil violence

November 4, 2011

VATICAN CITY - The people of the Ivory Coast have a right to know the truth about atrocities committed by both sides after disputed elections led to months of violence earlier this year, Pope Benedict XVI said. Welcoming Joseph Tebah-Klah as the Ivory Coast's new ambassador to the Vatican Nov. 4, the Pope said the new government and all the country's people must make a firm commitment to promoting reconciliation between citizens who were on different sides of the dispute.