NEWS

The New Brunswick Liberal government has removed the legal requirement for a specialized license to perform an abortion procedure. Any doctors can now perform an abortion.

New abortion regulations take hold in New Brunswick

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With the new year came fewer abortion restrictions in New Brunswick, to the dismay of pro-lifers.

People hold a placard that reads "I am Muslim, I am Jewish, I am Catholic, I am Charlie" during a Jan. 8 vigil in Paris, following the mass shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper in Paris. Pope Francis condemned the killings of a t least 12 people at the offices of the publication Jan. 7 and denounced all "physical and moral" obstacles to the peaceful coexistence of nations, religions and cultures.

France ponders its response to shootings: Will xenophobia or multiculturalism win?

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PARIS - As France emerges from its worst terrorist attack in decades, a biting novel that imagines the country governed by Islamic law is part of a swirling debate about its basic values. Will the country respond to the shootings with fear and xenophobia, as suggested by the book“Soumission, or Submission — or embrace its multicultural, multifaith identity?

Archbishop Pierre-Andre Fournier of Rimouski, Quebec died on Jan. 10 at the age of 71. He served as the president for the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec during the debates of euthanasia and a secular charter.

Rimouski Archbishop Fournier's sudden death a blow to Church

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OTTAWA - Rimouski Archbishop Pierre-André Fournier died suddenly Jan. 10 in hospital shortly after losing consciousness and being taken to hospital by ambulance.
Protesters display signs and carry flags during an Aug. 1 protest in Detroit. More than 150 people protested the persecution of Christians in Iraq, calling on the U.S. government and others to step in to help those given an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a heavy tax or be killed in their homeland.

Report: Christians face worsening mistreatment; North Korea tops list

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OXFORD, England - An international report has warned that Christians face worsening mistreatment worldwide and called for "urgent action" by Western governments and church leaders.

Wilfrid Macena, in red, who lost a leg in the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake, battles for the ball during an early morning practice in 2011 on a soccer field in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Macena and two other members of a Haitian amputee soccer team gave Pope Francis a soccer jersey and ball signed by team members during a Jan. 10 papal audience marking the fifth-year anniversary of the magnitude-7 earthquake.

Pope thanks Catholics for helping Haiti, says much more left to do

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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis thanked Catholics worldwide for helping people in Haiti recover from a devastating earthquake, but said "there is still much work left to do."

embers of Amistad, a nongovernmental organization, and other religious and women's rights organizations hold a banner as they gather near the headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) during a protest in Abidjan, Ivory Coast , May 19. Protesters demanded that West African leaders work together to ensure the release of more than 200 school girls who were abducted by the Boko Haram in Nigeria in April.

Nigerian archbishop calls for unity marches following Boko Haram massacres

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Nigerian Roman Catholic Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama says his country needs a similar march to the one held in Paris on Sunday (Jan. 11) to pay tribute to victims of Islamist militant attacks.

Charles Taylor says that satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo contributed to the Paris shooting situation with publishing content with no respect 'afforded to fellow citizens and minorities.' Taylor is pictured here speaking at Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto on Nov. 3, 2011.

Charlie Hebdo 'part of the situation' that led to attack, says Charles Taylor

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While nothing can ever justify cold-blooded murder, the Charlie Hebdo murders in Paris are no surprise, said Canada’s most famous Catholic philosopher.

Father Jude Nicholas leads members of the choir during rehearsal at Galle Face Green Jan. 11 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka Jan. 13-15.

Sri Lankans work to finalize the little details for Pope Francis' visit

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Hours before Pope Francis was to arrive in Sri Lanka, people in Colombo were busy with final preparations.

Some women from the Samburu community in Kenya have been subjected to female gential mutilation as part of traditional rite of passage from girlhood to womanhood. Kenyan religious leaders are campaigning against the mainstreaming of the practice in hospitals.

African church leaders worry about the ‘medicalization’ of female genital mutilation

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NAIROBI, Kenya - International rights groups, churches and activists are escalating campaigns against female genital mutilation now that a new practice has emerged in which girls are checking into hospitals to have the procedure.

Ashley Aperocho, second to the left, is spending a year working in Guyana with Scarboro Missions. She is one of two women representing the new style of missioners Scarboro Missions is seeking, devoting a year to their work rather than three years as has been the case in the past. Scarboro Missions is taking applications for such positions until Feb. 16.

Scarboro Missions puts out the call

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Scarboro Missions is seeking those with the guts and grit to answer God’s call to serve as a foreign missioner on a short-term basis.

Photo of Major Alan G. Rogers during the wedding ceremony of Jason Cianciotto and Courter Simmons. Alan can be seen in the background as Rev. Gary Simmons presided over the ceremony.

Anglicans asked to deny gay marriage for good of church

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The international Anglican commission with responsibility for keeping the Anglican Communion together has asked the Anglican Church of Canada not to change its canon law to allow same-sex marriage.

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