News/International

Cardinal Reinhard Marx

European Catholic bishops call for regional action ahead of Paris climate talks

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PARIS - Climate change and the refugee crisis are the two biggest challenges facing Europe that need a unified response recognizing the “ecological debt” richer nations owe poorer ones, the president of Europe’s Roman Catholic bishops conference said.

A young girl carrying a stuffed toy holds on to her mother's hand in 2013 as they walk outside the train station in Beijing. China's Communist Party leaders announced they would change the nation's one-child policy, which most strictly applied to Han Chinese living in urban areas of the country.

China announces it will change its policy, allow all families 2 children

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BEIJING - China's Communist Party leaders announced they would change the nation's one-child policy, which most strictly applied to Han Chinese living in urban areas of the country.

A boy lies in a bed Oct. 28 after receiving aid at a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, following a magnitude-7.5 earthquake. As the death toll from the Oct. 26 earthquake in Pakistan and Afghanistan continued to rise, Pope Francis called for prayers and concrete aid for survivors.

Pope calls for prayers, aid after quake hits Pakistan, Afghanistan

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VATICAN CITY - As the death toll from an earthquake in Pakistan and Afghanistan continued to rise, Pope Francis called for prayers and concrete aid for survivors.

U.S. House bill holds up federal funds for Planned Parenthood for a year

U.S. House bill holds up federal funds for Planned Parenthood for a year

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WASHINGTON - The U.S. House voted to block federal funding for a year to affiliates of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and redirect the money to community health centres.

Shiite militia volunteers take positions against Islamic State forces near Baiji, Iraq, Oct. 25.

Pope urges peace in Iraq; prays Christians no longer be forced to flee

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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis called on the international community to find a way to bring peace to Iraq and the Middle East and prayed that Christians there would no longer be forced to flee their homes.

African cardinals and bishops participating in the Synod of Bishops on the family gather for a meeting in Rome Oct. 7.

Central African Republic faith leaders hope Pope helps with peace

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OXFORD, England - Religious leaders in the Central African Republic have predicted the Pope's upcoming visit could reconcile opposing factions, three years after a Muslim-led rebellion plunged the country into civil war.

Title page of Barker and Lucas's 1631 Holy Bible, known as the "Wicked Bible".

From oops to ka-ching: 17th-century ‘Sinners’ Bible’ headed for auction block

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CANTERBURY, England - When King Charles I read it in 1631, he blew into a furious rage and ordered all the Bibles withdrawn and burned.

Volunteers from Lviv, Ukraine, clear debris to repair sewer and septic tank lines Aug. 5 in eastern Ukraine. The home was destroyed by three mortar shells during the war.

Restoring walls, rebuilding communities: Ukrainians help one another

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LVIV, Ukraine- Rebuilding in Ukraine does not just mean construction.

Refugees cross train tracks into Macedonia after arriving at a transit camp in Idomeni, Greece, Oct. 19. Thousands of refugees are arriving into Greece from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries and then traveling further into Europe.

Greece's Caritas aids refugees with food, clothing, human warmth

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IDOMENI, Greece - Weary faces, fussy babies, little boys teasing little girls to the point of tears and repeated uses of the Arabic word "inshallah" (God willing) reflect the uncertainty faced by refugees trying to reach northern Europe.

An Israeli border police officer stands near Catholic tourists from Indonesia as they carry a cross Oct. 18 on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem's Old City, near a site where several recent stabbings have taken place.

Praying, and hoping, for peace in Jerusalem's Old City

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JERUSALEM - Following a week that included Palestinians stabbing Israelis, bloody clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces, and despair rising on both sides, the parishioners of St. Saviour Church in the Old City of Jerusalem came to Mass Oct. 19 to pray, mainly for peace.

Israeli security personnel stand guard Oct. 19 in a spot along a street in Jerusalem that divides Jewish and Palestinian neighborhoods.

Courage, strength needed for peace in the Holy Land, Pope says

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VATICAN CITY - There is a need for great courage and strength in order to reject hatred and to carry out acts of peace in the Holy Land, Pope Francis said.

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