OTTAWA —The horrific murder of 50 Muslims at prayer at two New Zealand mosques March 15 hit close to home because of a similar attack in 2017 on Muslims at prayer at a Quebec City mosque.

VATICAN – Pope Francis called on Christians to unite in prayer for the victims of two mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead and dozens wounded in one of the worst mass shootings in the country's history.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – New Zealand's Catholic bishops have expressed horror and distress at a terrorist attack in two mosques in Christchurch that saw at least 49 people killed.

PANAMA CITY – Thousands of World Youth Day pilgrims stopped by the Jama Mosque Jan. 24 en route to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis.

LONDON – An English cardinal has condemned an attack against Muslims who had gathered close to a London mosque.

A surge in vandalism and hate speech against Jews and Muslims has prompted a call for the revival of a national platform for Christian-Jewish or Christian-Muslim dialogue.

BAKU, Azerbaijan – As the spiritual leader of a tiny religious minority in Azerbaijan, Pope Francis told the leaders of the country's other religious communities that they share a responsibility to help people grow in faith, but also in tolerance for the faith of others.

NASHVILLE — Zainab Elberry remembers the day the check came.

PISA, Italy – A campaign to block construction of a new mosque near the Leaning Tower of Pisa imperils Italy’s commitment to religious freedom, warn those who defend Muslims’ right to build it.

CATONSVILLE, Md. - In times of rising Islamophobia, U.S. President Barack Obama made a plea for religious tolerance during his first presidential visit to an American mosque.

VATICAN CITY - A Muslim delegation formally invited Pope Francis to visit Rome's mosque, the largest mosque outside the Islamic world. It would mark the first time a Pope visited the local mosque, which was opened in 1995.

JERUSALEM - The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem cannot be used to harbour violent agitators, the city’s mayor said after Muslims stockpiled rocks and pipe bombs inside the mosque just before and after the start of the Jewish New Year and violently clashed with Israeli police.

PARIS - More than 40,000 French have signed a rousing “Hands off my church” petition in recent days denouncing a Muslim leader’s casual remark that some of France’s many empty or underused churches could be turned into much-needed mosques.

VATICAN CITY - One of the largest churches in Mosul, Iraq, will be transformed into a mosque.

TORONTO - For almost 100 years in Toronto, thousands of Sunday worshippers have relied on Sunday only streetcar stops to help get them to church on time.