International News

BEIRUT -- Melkite Catholic bishops from around the world, gathering in Lebanon for their annual synod, called for reconciliation and peace in Syria.

VATICAN CITY -- The members of the Vatican's women's soccer team decided not to play their first foreign match June 22 when a couple members of the opposing team lifted their shirts to reveal slogans protesting the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion.

MANCHESTER, England -- An English church official "deliberately misled" a U.S. archdiocese into harboring a pedophile priest and helping him to escape justice for a quarter of a century, said a report from a child abuse inquiry.

PARIS -- The archbishop of Paris wore a hard hat as he celebrated the first Mass in Notre-Dame Cathedral since a huge blaze devastated the landmark building in April.

OTTAWA -- Getting the United Nations and the European Union to acknowledge the persecution of Christians is an ongoing challenge, but there are signs of progress, says Marcela Szymanski, a lobbyist for Aid to the Church in Need.

MEXICO CITY -- A priest in Mexico City has been arrested for murder barely a week after he celebrated a funeral Mass for the victim.

VATICAN CITY -- Aid to the Church in Need raised over 111 million euros ($125 million) in 2018 to help support persecuted Christians, particularly in the Middle East where tens of thousands of Christians have been forced to flee their homes due to ongoing war and conflicts over the last decade.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a 7-2 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of preserving a historic cross-shaped memorial in Bladensburg, Maryland saying the cross did not endorse religion.

BALTIMORE -- Creation of a third-party system for receiving confidential reports of complaints against bishops was approved at the spring general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

HONG KONG -- Cardinal John Tong Hon has joined with activists and religious leaders calling for the withdrawal of Hong Kong’s controversial extradition bill.