Global Church News
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Romanian railway company introduces additional trains for Pope Francis visit
May 24, 2019
CFR Calatori, the state-owned railway company, will introduce additional trains to serve those travelling to see Pope Francis during his visit in Romania.
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Bitter-sweet prayers by Chinese Christians for Our Lady at Sheshan
May 24, 2019
Ahead of feast day of Mary Help of Christians, to whom the shrine of Sheshan near Shanghai is dedicated, some faithful and priests make a supplication and express their concerns amid the destruction of crosses and the arrests of priests. Many feel bitter over the scant results from the Sino-Vatican agreement.
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Plans for Yekaterinburg’s new St Catherine's Cathedral scrapped
May 24, 2019
The authorities have scrapped plans to build a cathedral dedicated to Saint Catherine in the city of Yekaterinburg, following protests by local reside
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A month after the massacres, Sri Lanka commemorates the victims
May 24, 2019
The country stopped to remember the 257 dead. Relatives and friends still struggle to overcome the pain of losing loved ones. Mary Selvamathy lost her husband and two children. Gloria, 17, lost her father, who " was bleeding”. She “begged for someone to help” but men were “filming and taking pictures” instead of helping.
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"Dear faithful in China ...": Pope Francis for the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan
May 23, 2019
At the end of Wednesday's audience, the pontiff expresses "special closeness and affection to all Catholics in China" and invites them to remain "united in the communion of the universal Church". On May 24, the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China is celebrated by Benedict XVI in 2007.
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Papal trip to Romania to mix Orthodox outreach, support for Eastern rite church
May 23, 2019
Pope Francis is set to visit his third Eastern Orthodox-majority country in the space of a month at the beginning of June, traveling to Romania just weeks after visiting Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
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As Italy’s gypsies struggle with stigma, pope’s outreach stands alone
May 23, 2019
Few things unite the people of the relatively young country of Italy like an unreasonable obsession for soccer, a reverential love for food, and a shared, unabashed hatred for gypsies.
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Philippines to declare Virgin Mary’s birthday holiday
May 23, 2019
The House of Representatives is to pass a bill soon declaring the birthday of the Virgin Mary a holiday.
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'I'm still a Christian,' Pakistan teen tells court
May 23, 2019
A teenage Pakistani Christian, who was forcibly converted to Islam and married off to a 45-year-old Muslim man has testified that she is still a Christian.
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Violence in Jakarta: Police deny claims of deaths, slam 'premeditated actions'
May 23, 2019
Indonesian police have denied claims of casualties among the people who took part in violent protests in central Jakarta in the early hours of the dawn.
Sunday Reflection
Sixth Sunday of Easter: Three Cultures
Today’s first reading presents the solution to the great internal struggle of the Primitive or Earliest Church. Externally, it was the question of whether or not gentile Christians had to practise Jewish customs.
