News/International

Bev Ehlen, state director of Concerned Women for America, holds a sign outside of a Planned Parenthood facility in St. Louis July 21. She was among several pro-life supporters demonstrating after the release of two videos that showed Planned Parenthood o fficials discussing the method and price of providing fetal tissue obtained from abortions for medical research.

New video released with Planned Parenthood official discussing abortion

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WASHINGTON - Amid an outcry from U.S. Republicans demanding answers to questions raised by a video of a Planned Parenthood physician talking about preserving fetal organs and tissue for researchers for a fee, a second video emerged July 21 of a different physician from the organization talking about the same topic.

Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem called for an end to the violence in Syria, saying that the refugees have lost hope in returning back home. In this photo, Twal speaks at a news conference at a convent in Cremisan Valley in Beit Jala, West Bank, April 2.

Patriarch calls lives of Middle East Christians 'bad' and 'less bad'

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JERUSALEM - Christians in the Middle East are facing difficulties ranging from "bad" to "less bad," said Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem.

A new poll shows Pope Francis’ popularity among all Americans dropped 17 percentage points from 76 per cent.

Pope Francis’ approval ratings fall in U.S.

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Growing conservative disaffection with Pope Francis appears to be taking a toll on his once teflon-grade popularity in the United States, with a new Gallup poll showing the pontiff’s favourability rating among all Americans dropping to 59 per cent from a 76-per-cent peak early last year.

Catholic families stand in front of home on Kyaltung Mountain in Sindhupalchowk, Nepal, July 12.

Church charities augment tattered school system in quake-wracked Nepal

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KATHMANDU, Nepal - Like thousands of Nepalese homeowners, Sobha Laksmi Maharjan lost her residence in the devastating earthquake that rocked Nepal April 25. But she remains busy and cheerful at work despite the hardship.

Demonstrators marched against homosexuality along Nairobi’s Uhuru Highway on July 6, 2015. They chanted in support of the family.

African clergy to protest Obama’s gay-rights ‘agenda’ on trip

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NAIROBI, Kenya - Anti-gay activists, including conservative clerics, traditional elders and politicians, are threatening to resist any push by U.S. President Barack Obama for gay rights during his Kenya visit this week, with tactics that range from throwing rotten eggs to marching naked and boycotting his speeches.

Pope Francis addresses a workshop on climate change and human trafficking attended by mayors from around the world in the synod hall at the Vatican July 21. Local government leaders were invited to the Vatican by the pontifical academies of sciences and social sciences to sign a declaration recognizing that climate change and extreme poverty are influenced by human activity. Also seen are, from left, Argentine model Valeria Mazza, serving as master of ceremonies; Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancell or of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences; Cardinal Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento, Italy; and Cardinal Claudio Hummes, former prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.

World's mayors head to Vatican, vow to tackle climate change, poverty

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VATICAN CITY - After decades of world leaders trying to set global goals to address climate change and extreme poverty, city mayors gathered at the Vatican to pledge they will take real action and lead the fight on their streets.

Pope Francis named Fr. Robert Barron, 55, Msgr. Joseph V. Brennan, 61, and Msgr. David G. O'Connell, 61, as auxiliary bishops for the Los Angeles archdiocese.

Fr. Robert Barron, one of three auxiliary bishops named for Los Angeles

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WASHINGTON - Pope Francis has named three auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles including Fr. Robert Barron, creator of the Catholicism television series.

Father Bashar Kthea, 39, a Syriac Catholic priest, poses for a photo July 17 in Irbil, Iraq. Initially living in his car after fleeing the town of Qaraqosh, Iraq, last August, when Islamic State forces overran it, he now ministers in a camp for displaced Christians in a Kurdish-controlled part of the country.

Priest finds frustrations build among Christians in Iraq camp

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MANCHESTER, England - When the Islamic State overran the Iraqi town of Qaraqosh last August, one of the priests there jumped into his car and joined the exodus of Christians on the road east in the hope of reaching the safety of Kurdish-controlled territory.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas, head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, talks to the media at the end of the bishops' plenary session in Manila July 13.

Philippine archbishop: Protecting environment benefits poorest nations

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MANILA, Philippines - The president of the Philippine bishops' conference called climate change a matter of social justice and said that caring for Earth should not just be a goal to benefit this generation but also future generations.

Two police officers set up a barrier in front of a building June 28 after a fire destroyed a reception center for asylum seekers in Meissen, Germany. Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich-Freising, president of German bishops' conference, said an attack July 16 in the Bavarian town of Reichertshofen revealed that "some groups" were trying to "sow hatred" against migrants.

German cardinal says arson attacks on immigrant hostels 'sow hatred'

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MUNICH - A German Catholic Church leader condemned an arson attack that destroyed a reception centre for asylum seekers.

California governor Jerry Brown said there is a responsibility to keep the environment safe for future generations. Brown warned that if humans were to continue damaging the environment, millions will suffer and die. He is pictured in Toronto speaking at the Climate Summit of the Americas July 8.

California governor says Laudato Si' was necessary wake-up call

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ROME - Elections, like profit reports, have regular short-term rhythms, which is why Pope Francis' encyclical letter on the environment was so "appropriate and absolutely essential" for waking people up to the dangers of climate change, said California Gov. Jerry Brown.

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