News/International

Action demanded on refugees

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Church leaders and organizations are demanding stronger action from the Canadian government in response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

Philadelphia teen arrested in plot targetting Pope Francis

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A 15-year-old Philadelphia-area boy was arrested last month for allegedly pursuing an Islamic State-inspired plot against Pope Francis, two federal law enforcement officials said Sept. 15.

French residents greet Syrian refugees warmly, but many are wary

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CERGY-PONTOISE, France - When the first wave of Syrians and Iraqis arrived at this northwestern Paris suburb, Nabil Seghari signed up to volunteer with the Catholic charity spearheading the welcome efforts.

British Parliament rejects controversial right-to-die bill

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CANTERBURY, England - British parliamentarians on Friday (Sept. 11) soundly rejected a right-to-die bill that would have allowed people with less than six months to live to end their life legally.

Keep faith-based hiring discrimination, religious leaders tell Obama

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Seventy supporters of religion-based hiring discrimination urged President Obama Thursday (Sept. 10) to continue to permit government-funded faith groups to employ people with like beliefs.

Priest offers Mass daily at destroyed West Bank olive orchards

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BEIT JALLA, West Bank - Since hundreds of olive trees were uprooted to make room for a separation barrier through the Cremisan Valley adjacent to this largely Christian village, Fr. Aktham Hijazin, Annunciation parish priest, has been celebrating Mass daily behind red-and-white police tape.

European bishops say migration issue requires a continent-wide solution

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MANCHESTER, England - The European Union must adopt a common asylum policy "without delay" because it is unacceptable for refugees to "drown and suffocate" at the fringes of the bloc, said the European bishops.

Europe’s refugee crisis stirs consciences, but responses vary

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PARIS - Europe’s refugee crisis has inspired faith communities across the continent to open their doors to the newcomers and advocate for more state and private help, but the urgency of their calls and the depth of responses to them vary from country to country.

Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics jumps into Bible, pot debate

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OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics briefly used its official Facebook page on Aug. 26 to debate marijuana and the Bible. After two commenters posted references to the Bible in response to a story about the detrimental effects of marijuana on the brain, a bureau employee engaged them in a theological argument.

West complicit in child’s death

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TORONTO - The Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, the most senior Catholic bishop in Syria, says the West must share responsibility for the fate of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler pictured drowned on a Turkish beach on newspaper front pages worldwide.