World News
Congo’s bishops: Two killed during protests against ‘dictatorship’
More than 3 million have rallied nationwide to demand the resignation of President Joseph Kabila, resulting in clashes between demonstrators and police at a number of parishes.
Euthanasia in hospices ‘a serious error,’ says Vancouver archbishop
A regional health authority now requires hospices in its jurisdiction to provide on-site assisted suicide, a move denounced by Archbishop J. Michael Miller as a "serious error" that stands in "stark contrast" to compassionate medical care.
Mideast Christian leaders shut Church of Holy Sepulcher to protest taxes
UPDATED - Municipal officials in Jerusalem are seeking to tax church property not used for worship purposes, abolishing a centuries-old exemption. In addition, a bill in the Israeli parliament would limit the sale of church-owned land to private buyers.
Brazilian court denies sentence reduction for Dorothy Stang assassin
A Brazilian court denied Regivaldo Pereira Galvao's request for a reduction in sentence for his conviction of masterminding the 2005 killing of Sister Dorothy Stang, a U.S missionary.
Iraqi Catholic leaders urge Christians: Remain steadfast in Lent
Many Chaldean Catholics lost their homes, properties and other possessions as they fled the so-called Islamic State militants in the summer of 2014. Many are destitute, still living in camps for the internally displaced or sheltering abroad.
South Sudanese leaders don’t know how to make peace, say Catholic bishops
On the day Pope Francis designated for global prayers for peace in South Sudan and Congo, Catholic bishops in South Sudan said their leaders needed help to discern how to "beat their swords into plowshares."
Prayer for peace in Congo, South Sudan a call to action, cardinal says
In an article for L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said leaders have "the duty of securing a peaceful life for their fellow citizens."
Speakers decry detention for vulnerable migrant, refugee children
At issue is the treatment of children who cross international borders with or without family members. According to international law, they are entitled to due process in the assessment of their legal status, entry and stay in the receiving country.
Christian leader, English bishop add to outcry over attacks in Syria
"It's a fight between regional and international countries, such as Russia, Iran and Turkey, seeking to acquire territory and influence and to establish their hegemony in these areas," said Bassam Ishak, who heads the Syriac National Council.
Inspiring pope: Francis often speaks of Paul VI’s influence on him
While Pope Francis thinks Blessed Paul VI wrote "the greatest pastoral document that has ever been written," great writing does not make a pope a saint.