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News/International

Blessed Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan who ministered in U.S. and Mexico, is pictured in an undated painting. During his flight from Sri Lanka to Manila, Philippines, Jan. 15, Pope Francis said he would canonize Blessed Junipero in September.

Pope's canonization announcement surprises Franciscan's promoters

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WASHINGTON - Surprising even the people who have been promoting the sainthood cause of Blessed Junipero Serra, Pope Francis announced Jan. 15 that in September, he hopes to canonize the 18th-century Spanish Franciscan who founded a string of missions across Mexico and California.

Pope Francis is pictured with youths at a home for former street children in Manila, Philippines, Jan. 16.

Surprise papal meeting with former street kids features songs, hugs

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MANILA, Philippines - Pope Francis did not disappoint hundreds of former street children who were part of a massive campaign to show him one of the centres where they have found safety and love.

Pope Francis greets Buddhist monks in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan. 14. The pope paid an unscheduled visit to a Buddhist temple at the headquarters of the Maha Bodhi Society, responding to an invitation he had received the previous day from its head priest.

Buddhist centre breaks tradition, shows Pope revered relic

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MAKOLA, Sri Lanka - When Pope Francis made a surprise visit to a prominent Buddhist temple in Colombo Jan. 14, the head of the Maha Bodhi Society of Sri Lanka reciprocated by showing the Pope historical relics of Buddhas' disciples, normally exposed only for the annual Buddhist feast in May.

Pope Francis answers questions from the media aboard his flight to Manila, Philippines, Jan. 15.

Pope says respect for religion should limit freedom of expression

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ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Commenting on recent killings by Islamist terrorists at a Paris newspaper, Pope Francis condemned killing in the name of God, but said freedom of expression should be limited by respect for religion and that mockery of faith can be expected to provoke violence.

Young people dance as Pope Francis arrives at Villamor Air Base in Manila, Philippines, Jan. 15.

Exuberant crowds greet Pope in unofficial welcome to Philippines

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MANILA, Philippines - Although it was not called a welcoming ceremony, Pope Francis was greeted by government and church officials and an exuberant crowd Jan. 15 at Manila's Villamor Air Base.

Faye Arellano says that for Filipinos living overseas, faith is the most important thing that they carry with them. Pope Francis is expected to visit the Philippines, Asia’s most-Catholic nation, Jan. 15-19.

Papal visit a 'healing balm' to long-suffering Filipinos, says Canadian

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The pastoral visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines, which culminates Jan. 18 at an outdoor Mass expected to draw more than four million people, is being dubbed as a “mercy and compassion visit,” said Faye Arellano of Toronto.

Father Matthieu Dauchez, director of The Blessed Charles de Foucauld Home for Girls, poses with residents Jan. 13 in Manila, Philippines. Father Dauchez said there are between 6,000 to 10,000 street children in metro Manila.

Former street kids want Pope to visit during Philippines papal visit

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MANILA, Philippines - Father Matthieu Dauchez knows the children he works with are not the only poor people in the Philippines, but that has not stopped him from lobbying loudly and praying constantly that Pope Francis will stop by.

Pope Francis releases a dove at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary in Madhu, Sri Lanka, Jan. 14.

In Madhu, pope tells Sri Lankans reconciliation requires repentance

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Pope Francis told Sri Lankans seeking reconciliation after two-and-a-half decades of civil war that, before they can forgive each other, they must repent of their own sins.

Auxiliary Bishop Matthias Heinrich of Berlin makes remarks during a Jan. 13 vigil in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The vigil was organized by Muslim groups for the victims of the Jan. 7 shootings by gunmen at the Paris offices of the satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo

German Catholics criticize anti-Islam marches, but urge understanding

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OXFORD, England - German Church leaders have criticized an anti-Islamic movement that staged mass demonstrations in Dresden and other cities, but they also urged a better understanding of public fears.

Pilgrims from Goa, India, hold a sign thanking Pope Francis before the canonization Mass of St. Joseph Vaz at Galle Face Green in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan. 14. St. Vaz was born in Goa.

Pope proclaims Joseph Vaz Sri Lanka's first saint

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Canonizing Sri Lanka's first saint, who ministered to Catholics under persecution three centuries earlier, Pope Francis proclaimed what he called the "fundamental human right" of religious freedom.
Members of the Yezidi religious minority who fled from violence in Mosul, Iraq, receive humanitarian aid Aug. 21 in Dohuk province, in the northern part of the country. Catholic relief agencies are trying raise more money for additional aid in the region.

Funding for D&P to help Iraqi refugees through winter

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Thousands of refugees who fled Mosul, Iraq, six months ago, now living in tents near the border with Turkey, will get more stable and winter-ready housing thanks to an extra $2.4 million in government funding given to the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

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