Lebanon’s top Christian cleric says judge probing port blast must be allowed to pursue truth

Amman, Jordan Reuters Lebanon’s top Christian cleric called on Sunday for the judge struggling to investigate the Beirut port explosion to be able to pursue his work and get help from any outside authority to pinpoint those responsible for the devastating blast. Long-simmering tensions over the investigation have boiled over since Judge Tarek Bitar brought […]
Postcards: Congo revivalist churches draw in Catholics

ERIKAS MWISI KAMBALE and SONIA ROLLEY, of Reuters, report…
Catholics from eastern Congo make cross-country journey to meet Pope

Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters Father Adeodatus Muhigi is among the Roman Catholic faithful in Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive city of Goma who prepared to welcome Pope Francis last July, before the pontiff had to postpone a trip to Africa because of a knee ailment. Now instead of welcoming the pope in Goma […]
Zelenskiy: Ukraine needs more weapons, faster

Reuters Ukraine needs new weapons and faster deliveries to confront a “very tough” situation of constant attacks by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday. “The situation is very tough. Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sectors in Donetsk region – there are constant Russian attacks. There are constant attempts to […]
At least 10 children killed in Pakistan as boat capsizes

Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters At least 10 children were killed on Sunday when a boat carrying religious school students capsized in north-west Pakistan, officials said. Around eight students were still missing while seven injured had been taken to hospital, according to local officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the accident took place. People and rescue workers […]
Pope calls for Israel, Palestinians to halt “spiral of death”

Reuters Pope Francis on Sunday called on Israel and the Palestinians to engage in dialogue in pursuit of peace, deploring the recent violence in the region. Speaking after the Angelus prayer in Rome, the Pope said he had been greatly saddened by news of the Palestinians killed during Israeli counter-terrorism operations, as well as by […]
Syria denies OPCW’s findings on chemical weapon attack in 2018

Reuters Syria’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that a report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that found the Syrian Government was responsible for a chemical weapon attack on the rebel-held Syrian city of Douma in 2018 lacked any evidence, and denied the allegations. The global chemical weapons watchdog said on Friday […]
Memphis disbands police unit after fatal beating as protesters take to streets

Memphis, Tennessee, US Reuters The specialised police unit that included the five Memphis officers charged with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols was disbanded on Saturday as more protests took place in US cities a day after harrowing video of the attack was released. The police department said in a statement it was permanently deactivating […]
“He’s close to us”: Wheelchair users in Africa await Pope

Goma, Congo AP When Pope Francis arrives in Congo and South Sudan next week, thousands of people will take special note of a gesture more grounded than the sign of the cross. Watching from their wheelchairs, they will relate to the way he uses his. The Pope, who began using a wheelchair last year, is […]
Pope clarifies homosexuality and sin comments in note

Rome, Italy AP Pope Francis has clarified his recent comments about homosexuality and sin, saying he was merely referring to official Catholic moral teaching that teaches that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin. And in a note Friday, Francis recalled that even that black-and-white teaching is subject to circumstances that might eliminate […]