World News
Christians among 500,000 fleeing Mosul after Islamist forces seize city
BEIRUT (CNS) -- Church leaders in northern Iraq struggled to find shelter for Christians who were among hundreds of thousands who fled Mosul, the country's second-largest city, after Islamist forces took over much of the town, a Chaldean Catholic archbishop said.
Pope reconfirms clergy congregation members, appoints U.S.-born prelate
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has reconfirmed most members of the Congregation for Clergy and named three new members, including one American, who was a computer scientist and marketer for IBM before becoming a priest.
Pope tells Middle East leaders only God can bring peace to Holy Land
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Praying for peace in the Holy Land alongside Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Pope Francis called on God to act where human efforts had failed, to end what he described as violence inspired by the devil.
Vatican tempers expectations for Israeli-Palestinian peace prayer
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis' June 8 meeting with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents will be a religious, not a political, occasion and should not raise hopes for immediate resumption of peace talks between the two nations, said the principal coordinator of the gathering.
Groups vow to fight Quebec’s newly passed euthanasia law
OTTAWA, Ontario (CNS) -- A Catholic leader joined several organizations opposed to euthanasia in condemning Quebec's "dying with dignity" law that brings Belgium-style euthanasia to the province.
Different faiths, same witness: How Vatican explains prayers for peace
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Popes pray for peace; it is part of their ministry. And when war is raging or peace negotiations seem hopelessly bogged down, recent popes have invited leaders of other Christian traditions and other faiths to join them in prayer.
Pope remembers ‘heavy sacrifice’ of Allied forces on D-Day
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- People must continue to recognize the sacrifice of the Allied soldiers who liberated Europe from "Nazi barbarism," but also should not forget the German soldiers "dragged into this drama," Pope Francis said.
Pope internationalizes Vatican financial watchdog agency
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis named a slate of new members to the Vatican's financial watchdog agency, replacing an all-Italian panel with members from Italy, Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.
In unusual step, Mexican archdiocese turns in priest accused of abuse to police
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- A priest in north central Mexico has been stripped of his position by the Vatican and faces criminal charges in connection with alleged sexual abuse of a teenage boy. The case marks the first time the Catholic Church in Mexico has turned a priest in to authorities.
Ireland investigates report of children buried at former religious home
DUBLIN (CNS) -- Revelations that nearly 800 babies died in a Catholic home for unwed mothers run by the Bons Secours nuns in the west of Ireland from 1925 to 1961 and were possibly buried in unmarked graves in a disused septic tank has put renewed focus on such homes.