World News

Vatican bank tells where it stores its gold, and other nuggets

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- One week after publishing highlights of its 2013 financial statement, the Institute for the Works of Religion -- commonly called the Vatican bank -- released a 107-page, detailed financial report for the year.

Vatican questions accuracy of latest papal interview

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican said the latest published interview with Pope Francis, in which he says fighting sex abuse and the mafia will be priorities of his pontificate, should not be considered a record of his exact words.

Senior Anglican leaders support assisted suicide as Lords debate nears

MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- Senior Anglican leaders have voiced their support for assisted suicide just days before a crucial debate on the subject in the British Parliament.

Medical supplies dwindle, fear rises in Gaza

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- The situation in hospitals in the Gaza Strip is dire, and thousands of people are seeking refuge in U.N. schools and facilities. The Israeli Defense Forces continued their second week of an offensive into the Hamas-controlled Gaza in response to Hamas militants lobbing missiles into Israel.

Church of England votes for women bishops

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Church of England voted July 14 to authorize the ordination of women as bishops and pledged to work with people who believe that, theologically, the vote was a mistake. It acknowledged the vote carried "uncertainties" for the process of Christian unity.

Pope: Stop throwaway culture now before another generation is lost

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis urged a group of economists and financiers to help reverse the current "throwaway" culture and put people at the center -- not the fringes -- of monetary strategies and policies.

Pope: Prayer is never in vain; work courageously, concretely for peace

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Praying for peace is never a useless exercise -- it keeps evil at bay and helps people not give in to violence, Pope Francis said.

Phone calls, evacuations: Gaza’s Christians work together to stay safe

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Members of the tiny Christian community in the Gaza Strip have been keeping tabs on each other and lending a helping hand to keep each other safe during Israeli airstrikes throughout the region, but nowhere in the territory is really safe, said a priest at the territory's only Catholic parish.

Lead by example: Pope offers abuse victims open ear, open heart

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- More than a meeting and homily, Pope Francis laid out a clear road map for the church when he celebrated Mass and welcomed abuse survivors to the Vatican.

Crowd-funding effort launched for French cathedral window restoration

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The American Friends of Chartres has launched a crowd-funding campaign in the United States to help restore and preserve a 20-foot-high 13th-century stained-glass window in the Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral in France.