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News/International

Father Xavier Thelakkat, rector of the shrine of St. Thomas in Malayattoor, India, pictured in a 2012 photo, was stabbed to death in 2018. An Indian court sentenced former sacristan Johny Vattaparamban, 54, to life imprisonment for the murder of Father Thelakkat in southern Kerala state.

Sacristan sentenced to life in prison for murder of Indian shrine rector

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COCHIN, India -- An Indian court sentenced former sacristan Johny Vattaparamban, 54, to life imprisonment for the 2018 murder of the rector of popular St. Thomas Shrine at Malayattoor, in southern Kerala state.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI, pictured in a 2010 file photo, celebrated his 93rd birthday April 16, 2020. In a newly published biography, Pope Benedict said the Catholic Church is threatened by a "worldwide dictatorship of seemingly humanist ideologies." He cited same-sex marriage, abortion and the "creation of humans in the laboratory" as examples.

In new biography, Pope Benedict says world threatened by humanism

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MUNICH -- In a newly published biography, Retired Pope Benedict XVI said the Catholic Church is threatened by a "worldwide dictatorship of seemingly humanist ideologies." He cited same-sex marriage, abortion and the "creation of humans in the laboratory" as examples.

Pope Pius XII is pictured at the Vatican in a file photo dated March 15, 1949.

Polish historian questions German researcher's claims about wartime pope

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OXFORD, England -- A top Polish historian has questioned claims by German researchers that newly opened Vatican archives contain information damning the role played by Pope Pius XII during World War II.

A priest blesses the coffin of a woman who died from COVID-19 in Seriate, Italy, March 28, 2020.

Italian government issues rules for funerals as lockdown eases

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ROME -- While the Italian bishops and government officials continue negotiating a way to resume the public celebration of Masses, the government provided guidelines that permit the celebration of funerals beginning May 4.

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet has called for having more women on seminary formation teams as professors and counsellors so men can develop “a balanced relationship with women.”

Women vital to seminaries: Ouellet

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VATICAN CITY -- The Church must “radically change” how priests interact with women, starting by injecting more female voices into priestly formation at seminaries, said Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet.

A worker tills the land on a Development and Peace-sponsored demonstration-and-teaching farm in Jijiga in Ethiopia’s Somali province. The World Food Program is warning of a worldwide famine because of COVID-19.

Famine fears growing amid COVID-19

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Dire predictions of a worldwide famine due to COVID-19 are already coming true, according to organizations in Africa and Asia that work with Canadian Church partners.

Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre, left, is seen in a 2018 file photo in Rome. Dalla Torre, who led the Knights of Malta following a tumultuous period in relations with the Vatican, died in Rome April 29, 2020, at the age of 75, the order announced.

Knights of Malta grand master dies at 75

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VATICAN CITY -- Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre, who led the Knights of Malta following a tumultuous period of internal tensions and rocky relations with the Vatican, died at the age of 75, the order announced.

A scientist checks quality control of COVID-19 vaccine vials for correct volume at the Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility in Oxford, England, April 2, 2020.

Catholic bioethicist: COVID-19 vaccine could be question of conscience

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MANCHESTER, England -- A vaccine produced with the help of cells derived from aborted fetuses could present an ethical dilemma for Catholics and others opposed to abortion, said a senior researcher from a Catholic bioethics institute.

An unidentified man suffering from Alzheimer's disease and who refused to eat sleeps peacefully the day before passing away in a nursing home in Utrecht, Netherlands. Cardinal Willem Eijk of Utrecht predicted the number of euthanasia cases in the Netherlands will surge after the country's highest court gave the green light to allow the killing of dementia patients no longer able to give their consent.

Dutch cardinal fears surge in euthanasia

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MANCHESTER, England -- A Dutch cardinal predicted that the number of euthanasia cases will surge after the Netherlands’ highest court gave the green light to allow the killing of dementia patients who are no longer able to give consent.

A cross atop a Catholic church is silhouetted in Tianjin, China.

Chinese communist officials remove crosses from two church buildings

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HONG KONG -- Communist authorities in territory covered by the Anhui Diocese removed crosses from the top of two church buildings, sources told ucanews.com April 27. The sources said they fear more such actions.

People wait in line for free food outside the Church of Santa Anna in Barcelona, Spain, April 21, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The parish publishes a daily tally of meals and hygiene equipment handed out to needy recipients, as well as a blog with advice for surviving the crisis.

Parishes in Spain adapt pastoral services during COVID-19

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OXFORD, England -- When Father Peio Sanchez founded his "field hospital" in an old monastery building in Barcelona, Spain, in 2017, he hoped it would offer some refuge to the Mediterranean city's 3,300 homeless inhabitants.

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