News/International
ROME - The Italian bishops' conference has sent a message of solidarity to Fr. Luigi Ciotti, founder of Libera, a network of Italian anti-Mafia associations, following an apparent threat to his life from a Sicilian Mafia boss.
Gay groups in St. Patrick’s parade all right with N.Y. Cardinal Dolan
By David Gibson, Religion News ServiceNEW YORK - After years of strong resistance, organizers of New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade said that gays and lesbians will be allowed to march under their own banner for the first time, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan — the parade’s grand marshal next March — has welcomed the move.
After kidnapping schoolgirls, Boko Haram takes aim at churches in northeast Nigeria
By Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News ServiceNAIROBI, KENYA - Five months after Boko Haram abducted more than 200 girls in Nigeria’s Borno State, the Islamic extremist group has begun occupying churches in the country’s northeastern region, Church officials there said.
Scottish archbishops urge Catholics to vote in independence referendum
By Simon Caldwell, Catholic News ServiceMANCHESTER, England - Scotland's archbishops have encouraged Catholics to vote in the forthcoming referendum on independence — and to pay attention to the issue of religious freedom.
Debating just-war theory in light of Islamic State and past Iraqi wars
By Mark Pattison, Catholic News ServiceWASHINGTON - In the days that followed Pope Francis' Aug. 18 remarks on U.S. airstrikes earlier in the month against Islamic State, the buzz was about whether the Pope had actually given his consent to them.
Is James Foley a martyr? A brutal death sparks a faith-based debate
By David Gibson, Religion News ServiceFrom the moment news broke that U.S. journalist James Foley had been beheaded by Islamic State extremists in the Middle East, many Christians, especially Foley’s fellow Catholics, began calling him a martyr, with some even saying he should be considered a saint.
God at Nuremberg: How an American pastor came to comfort Nazis
By Kimberly Winston, Religion News ServiceHe was a minister to monsters.
Pope Francis calls Gaza's Catholics to be Christ's witness in midst of conflict
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - The priest leading the Gaza Strip's only Catholic parish met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, thanking him for his support of those suffering in the war-torn territory.
John Lennon’s killer: My life is all about Jesus now
By Cathy Lynn Grossman, Religion News ServiceThe man who murdered John Lennon wants only one thing now — to tell others about Jesus.
Christian leaders call for end to US strikes in Iraq, focus on peaceful resolution
By David Gibson, Religion News ServiceEven as some prominent Christians are calling on the United States to take more forceful military action against Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria, more than 50 mainly Catholic and Protestant leaders are telling President Barack Obama to halt American airstrikes and pursue solely peaceful means to resolve the conflict.
Experts say papal visit to China not likely in near future
By Gregory A. Shemitz, Catholic News ServiceSTONY BROOK, N.Y. - What are the prospects of the world witnessing a papal motorcade driving through the streets of Beijing in the near future?