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News/International

A nun walks next to an empty St. Peter's Square in Rome during the outbreak of coronavirus March 12, 2020.

Italian priests, religious women are among victims of COVID-19

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ROME -- A number of priests and religious women have been among the nearly 2,000 people who have died in Italy because of illness connected with COVID-19.

Father Joseph Bature Fidelis of Adamawa, Nigeria, is seen during an interview with Catholic News Service in Washington March 9, 2020.

Priest cites religious freedom violations in northern Nigeria

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WASHINGTON -- A priest who serves as director of the Justice, Development and Peace Commission in his diocese in northern Nigeria cited an ongoing series of religious freedom violations in his region of the country, which is majority Muslim.

Employees from a disinfection company sanitize a bench as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus in Beirut March 5, 2020. The number of cases is steadily increasing in Lebanon, which announced its second death from COVID-19 March 11.

Lebanon grappling with COVID-19

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AMMAN, Jordan -- A group of priests in Lebanon have quarantined themselves while a pair of their elders are fighting coronavirus. A Catholic hospital in another part of the tiny Mediterranean country has also seen a spread of the COVID-19 as fear of the disease grips the cash-strapped nation.

Cardinal George Pell is pictured in a June 29, 2017, photo.

Australia's High Court requests more info before ruling on Cardinal Pell case

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SYDNEY -- After two days of hearings, the seven judges of Australia's High Court reserved their decision on whether to hear an appeal of Cardinal George Pell's conviction for the 1996 sexual assault of two choir boys.

A man wearing a mask for protection from the coronavirus passes an empty St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 10. The Vatican has closed St. Peter's Square and Basilica to tourists March 10 through April 3 in co-operation with Italian emergency procedures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Vatican closes St. Peter's Square, Basilica to tourists through April 3

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VATICAN CITY — In co-operation with Italian emergency measures, the Vatican has closed St. Peter's Square and Basilica to tourists starting March 10 through April 3.

People wearing masks for protection from the coronavirus look at a model of the Vatican at the Vatican Museums. The Vatican announced March 8 that the Vatican Museums will be closed until April 3 as a precaution against spread of the coronavirus.

Vatican closes museums as it battles spread of coronavirus

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VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican has instituted new measures and closures to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Several visitors enter an empty security queue before visiting St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 4, 2020. Visitors and pilgrims to churches, museums and landmarks in Rome have sharply declined following an outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in northern Italy.

Confirmed case of COVID-19 in Vatican City

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VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican health clinic was closed temporarily after a person tested positive for the coronavirus, the Vatican announced.

A tourist wearing a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus visits the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, March 5, 2020.

Bethlehem holy sites to be closed after COVID-19 reported at hotel

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JERUSALEM -- The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem urged its faithful to cooperate with the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health, following its order March 5 to close all schools, universities, mosques and churches, including the Church of the Nativity and Shepherd's field.

A sign indicating a unisex bathroom is seen in 2016 in North Carolina.

UN report on gender equality attacks religious freedom, says official

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GENEVA -- A United Nations report addressing gender-based violence and discrimination connected to religious beliefs "is now attacking the very reality it is called to defend," a Vatican representative told a U.N. meeting in Geneva.

Syrian refugees try to reach the Turkish-Greek border in Turkey Feb. 28, 2020. Turkey and Greece are trading blame following the deaths of Syrian refugees trying to flee to Europe.

Some concerned Turkish president is weaponizing Syrian refugees

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AMMAN, Jordan -- Turkey and Greece are trading blame following the deaths of Syrian refugees trying to flee to Europe, but some observers believe Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is weaponizing the Syrian refugee humanitarian crisis.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Proposed amendment in Russia would define marriage as between a man and woman

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MOSCOW, Russia (CNA) -- A definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is among several amendments to the Russian constitution proposed by president Vladimir Putin.

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