News/International

At Liberty University, big goals — and big money — for sports

At Liberty University, big goals — and big money — for sports

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LYNCHBURG, Va. - In December 2011, Turner Gill sat in the plush presidential suite atop Liberty University’s football stadium, on the verge of accepting the school’s head coaching job.

People displaced by violence stand outside their tent at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Ankawa, Iraq, Aug. 14. A typical day for many Iraqi Christians encamped at Ankawa, near Irbil, would probably involve another round of struggle against despe ration, frustration, anxiety, boredom and fear.

Displaced Iraqis face daily struggle against desperation, boredom

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MANCHESTER, England - A typical day for many Iraqi Christians encamped at Ankawa, near Irbil, would probably involve another round of struggle against desperation, frustration, anxiety, boredom and fear.

Ukrainian soldiers march along a street during a rehearsal for the Independence Day parade in Kiev Aug. 20. The parade will take place Aug. 24.

As battles rage, Catholics in Ukraine request Independence Day prayers

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VATICAN CITY - As Ukrainians prepared to mark their Aug. 24 Independence Day under the cloud of fierce fighting in the East, Catholic leaders condemned the threat to Ukraine's territorial integrity and prayed for a speedy end to the hostilities.

U.S. Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, pictured in a 2004 photo, died Aug. 20 at age 86 at Providence Park Hospital in Novi, Mich. Cardinal Szoka was archbishop of Detroit from 1981 until 1990, when he was brought to the Vatican to oversee the city state's gover nment under St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. He retired in 2006.

Cardinal Szoka, former Detroit archbishop and Vatican official, dies

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DETROIT - Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, who rose from poor beginnings to reach the highest levels of service to the Church, died Aug. 20 at Providence Park Hospital in Novi. The cardinal, who was 86, died of natural causes.

U.S. journalist James Foley speaks at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Ill., after being released from imprisonment in Libya in 2011. Foley, a freelance war correspondent from New Hampshire and a Marquette University alu m, was killed at the hands of the Islamic State militant group.

Pope Francis delivers condolences to slain U.S. journalist's family

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Updated 08/22/14

NEW YORK - Pope Francis phoned the bereaved family of James Foley, a U.S. journalist killed by Islamic State militants in Syria.

A man kisses the ring of Cardinal Fernando Filoni during an Aug. 13 visit to Irbil, Iraq. Pope Francis met Cardinal Filoni Aug. 21, the morning after the cardinal returned to the Vatican following the Aug. 13-20 visit to Iraq as the pope's envoy to bes ieged minorities.

Pope Francis hears of hopes and trials of the displaced in Iraq

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VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Fernando Filoni said Pope Francis "was really taken" by the cardinal's description of Christians and other minorities forced from their homes in northwestern Iraq by militias belonging to the Islamic State terrorist group.

Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, who headed a delegation of Mideast patriarchs, blesses a baby Aug. 20 in Irbil, Iraq. The blessing took place in one of the churches housing the more than 100,000 Christians and minorities displaced in t he country by the advance of Islamist militants.

Catholic, Orthodox patriarchs visit Irbil to support displaced Iraqis

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BEIRUT - A delegation of Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs visited Irbil, Iraq, to show their support and solidarity with the more than 100,000 Christians and minorities displaced in the country by the advance of Islamist militants.

China warns Pope Francis to not ‘interfere’ with religion

China warns Pope Francis to not ‘interfere’ with religion

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VATICAN CITY - China has reacted cautiously to a bid by Pope Francis to open new dialogue with Beijing, with some officials quick to warn the Vatican not to “interfere” with the country’s religion.

Acting Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni, third from left in front, speaks to the media while visiting the Salah Eddin district after explosions took place at midnight May 21 in Tripoli. An Islamist group has gained ground in the northeastern Libyan city of Benghazi, declaring it an Islamic territory.

Islamic militias spread beyond Middle East into Africa

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NAIROBI, Kenya - An Islamist group has gained ground in the northeastern Libyan city of Benghazi, declaring it an Islamic territory and raising fears that radical Islamist militias may spread in the rest of Africa.

American journalist James Foley, who was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in November 2012 in Idlib, Syria, is pictured in an undated photo. Foley, a freelance war correspondent from New Hampshire and Marquette University alum, was killed at the hands of the Islamic State militant group.

Faith, prayer sources of strength for slain U.S. journalist, his family

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ROCHESTER, N.H. - In April 2013, the parents of slain U.S. journalist James Foley attended a prayer vigil at Marquette University in Milwaukee to pray for their son, who at that time had disappeared in Syria.

An elderly Iraqi woman fleeing violence gestures at the Al Waleed refugee camp in Iraq Aug. 19. One group of sick, elderly Iraqi Christians said they defied terrorist demands to convert to Islam or be killed.

Elderly Iraqi Christians defy ISIS, flee to camp

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MANCHESTER, England - A group of 11 sick, disabled and elderly Iraqi Christians — including an 80-year-old woman with breast cancer — defied terrorists who ordered them to convert to Islam or be beheaded, saying they preferred death to giving up their faith.

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