World News
Panic spreading faster than Ebola among quarantined West Africans
Hunger and panic are spreading among people unable to work because of restrictions aimed at containing the spread of Ebola in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, say church workers there. More than 2,600 people in West Africa have been infected with Ebola since March. More than 1,400 people have died from the virus.
Syriac patriarch calls Islamic State actions ‘attempted genocide’
BEIRUT (CNS) -- Returning from a six-day visit to the Kurdish region of Iraq, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan called the Islamic State invasion "religious cleansing."
Israeli-Hamas cease-fire holding up as aid groups send help
JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Catholic aid organizations are hopeful that the most recent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas will hold as they assess the needs in Gaza after 50 days of war. The agreement calls for the easing of the Israeli-enforced embargo to allow humanitarian aid and construction material into Gaza.
Philadelphia priest visits North Korea as silent ‘apostle of peace’
Pope Francis thanked an 81-year-old Maryknoll priest from West Philadelphia for his 51 trips to the country where religion is prohibited and few outsiders are permitted. Father Gerard Hammond brings medicines and wordless witness in an "apostolate of presence."
Ebola, war or disaster: how, when global service groups decide to flee
When the Peace Corps announced in late July that it was evacuating its 340 volunteers from the three West African countries most affected by the Ebola virus, the action was far from a panic-driven decision, but instead followed a protocol.
As battles rage, Catholics in Ukraine request Independence Day prayers
As Ukrainians prepared to mark their Aug. 24 Independence Day under the cloud of fierce fighting in the East, Catholic leaders condemned the threat to Ukraine's territorial integrity and prayed for a speedy end to the hostilities.
Catholic, Orthodox patriarchs visit Irbil to support displaced Iraqis
A delegation of Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs visited Irbil, Iraq, to show their support and solidarity with the more than 100,000 Christians and minorities displaced in the country by the advance of Islamist militants.
Cardinal tells pope about the hopes and trials of the displaced in Iraq
Cardinal Fernando Filoni said Pope Francis "was really taken" by the cardinal's description of Christians and other minorities forced from their homes in northwestern Iraq by militias belonging to the Islamic State terrorist group -- watch a video on the issue.
Pope’s 2015 World Peace Day message will focus on human trafficking
Human trafficking destroys the lives of millions of children, women and men each year, making it a real threat to peace, the Vatican said as it announced Pope Francis' 2015 World Peace Day message would focus on the phenomenon.
Report says despite laws, migrants in Mexico face dangerous conditions
Migrants traveling through Mexico still run the risk of robbery, rape and kidnap, despite laws approved in recent years to curb such crimes, said a new report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.