Middle East - Africa News
Turkey denies leaders are 'running' from Pope Benedict's visit
The Turkish government denied on Wednesday that its leaders were "running away" from Pope Benedict by being out of the... Read more
Anti-celibacy sect attracts Catholic priests, ex-seminarians in Kenya
A Kenyan sect, opposed to mandatory priestly celibacy in the Roman Catholic Church, is quietly wooing former and suspended Catholic... Read more
Patriarch cautions Turks against violent protests during Pope’s visit
The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians cautioned Turks, in an interview published in Sunday’s Sabah newspaper, against creating... Read more
Catholic, Protestant churches agree to produce common Urdu Bible
Catholic and Protestant Church leaders in Pakistan have agreed to use one Urdu Bible instead of two different versions, reported... Read more
Sharpshooters, security cameras for Pope’s visit to Istanbul
Turkish authorities have announced that security will be tight during Pope Benedict XVI’s first visit to their country later this... Read more
Jerusalem archbishop says formation needed for dialogue with Islam and struggle against relativism
Coadjutor Archbishop Fouad Twal of Jerusalem said this week that in order for there to be inter-religious dialogue people need... Read more
South African bishop says parliament's approval of homosexual unions doesn't make it ok
South Africa’s parliament has approved gay unions, making that country the first in Africa to pass such a law. Read more
Catholic leaders in Kenya announce plan to battle AIDS scourge
Faced with the growing threat that some 1.27 million Kenyans are living with HIV, the Catholic Church in that country... Read more
Bishops say Catholics anxiously awaiting papal visit to Turkey
“The Church in Turkey awaits the encounter with Benedict XVI. We are preparing for the celebration in December, when the... Read more
Turkish man shoots at Italian consulate to protest Papal visit
A young man was arrested yesterday after firing three shots into the air in front of the Italian consulate in... Read more
Angolan bishop denounces violence and vandalism of groups who refuse to accept his authority
Bishop Filomeno do Nascimiento Vieira Dias of Cabinda, Angola, has issued a statement denounce the acts of violence and vandalism... Read more
Iraqi priest’s beheading linked with Pope’s comments re Islam, says family
Relatives of an Orthodox priest in Iraq, who was kidnapped and found beheaded three days later, said Thursday that his... Read more
Maronite Catholics: “Let Hezbollah go to Iran or Syria”
Although the conflict in Lebanon has ended, peace has yet returned for the inhabitants of a mostly Maronite Catholic town... Read more
Christians and Muslims can live together in peace, says bishop at funeral of slain Italian nun
The death of Sister Leonella Sgorbati, killed together with her Muslim bodyguard, Mohamed Mahamodu, who was a father of four,... Read more
John Paul II’s gunman warns Benedict not to travel to Turkey
The man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 has warned Pope Benedict XVI not to visit his predominantly... Read more
Nun shot in Somalia offered forgiveness with dying breath
The Consolata missionary sister who was shot dead by Islamic extremists in Mogadishu, Somalia, forgave her killers with her final... Read more
Pope’s trip to Turkey still on
According to parties on both sides, Pope Benedict XVI’s November trip to Turkey will continue as planned, despite violent reactions... Read more
Bishop says freedom of worship, but no freedom of religion in Cuba
Bishop Jose Siro Gonzalez of Pinar del Rio Cuba told a Spanish newspaper this week that freedom of worship, but... Read more
Maronite bishops criticize Hezbollah, sectarian politics
In a strongly worded statement, Lebanon's Maronite Catholic Bishops criticized Hezbollah and said the interest of political parties in the... Read more
Catholic Relief Services expands operations in Lebanon
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is expanding its operations in Lebanon with the opening today of a new national office in... Read more
