Catholic News Service
AMMAN, Jordan -- Religious freedom advocates and medical practitioners have expressed concerns about the COVID-19 response in northeast Syria.
Polish church warns of water shortages during pandemic
WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's Catholic bishops have urged nationwide prayers for rain, amid warnings huge areas of farmland could be ruined by drought during the COVID-19 pandemic.
International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest postponed
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis, the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses and local organizers have agreed to postpone by one year the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, the Vatican announced April 23.
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio -- In response to the unprecedented economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, Franciscan University of Steubenville announced it will cover the remainder of tuition costs, after scholarships and grants have been applied, for the fall 2020 semester for all incoming full-time undergraduate students enrolled in its on-campus programs.
Fears grow for health of refugees at a Rome settlement
ROME -- Dozens of refugees sheltering in an abandoned office building have tested positive for the coronavirus, triggering concerns for the welfare of the hundreds more still living there in crowded and unsanitary conditions.
BONN, Germany -- Catholic and Protestant churches in Germany have responded differently to the federal government's decision not to lift the ban on public church services.
Benedict XVI is well on his 93rd birthday
VATICAN CITY -- Retired Pope Benedict XVI "is well," although the coronavirus pandemic restrictions mean he will receive no visitors April 16, his 93rd birthday.
Macron renews pledge to rebuild Notre Dame
PARIS -- Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris welcomed a renewed pledge by French President Emmanuel Macron to rebuild Notre Dame cathedral.
Vatican names new director of its financial watchdog agency
VATICAN CITY -- More than four months after Pope Francis named a new president for the Vatican's financial watchdog agency, the leadership roster of the agency was completed with the naming of a new director and vice director.
SYDNEY -- Cardinal George Pell, whose conviction on five counts of sexual abuse was overturned by Australia's highest court, said in in his first television interview his knowledge that he was innocent and the prayers of thousands of people helped him during his 405 days in prison.