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Catholic Girl in Pakistan Rescued by Police After Abduction, Forced Marriage
Arzoo Raja, a 13-year-old Catholic girl in Pakistan whom a 44-year-old man allegedly kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam, and married, has been recovered and is in protective custody. Raja, who is from Karachi, was kidnapped in broad daylight Oct. 13 by Ali Azhar, 44. Raja’s parents... Read more -
Nice basilica terrorist attack: Who were the victims?
This story is developing and will be updated: Bells tolled in Catholic parishes across France in memory of the three people killed in a knife attack at the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Nice Thursday morning. This is what is known so far about the victims: Vincent L.,... Read more -
Pakistan court validates marriage of abducted Catholic girl
Rita Masih cried for her daughter with open hands pleading outside a courthouse in Karachi. “Arzoo, come to your mama. He will kill you. My daughter is sitting in the front,” she cried before fainting to the ground. Her relatives placed her on a marble bench under a tree and poured... Read more -
Indian Jesuit remains in jail, despite call for release from Asian bishops and international groups
A Jesuit priest arrested in India on charges of sedition will remain in jail for at least another two weeks, after the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences has called for his release, along with other international organizations. Fr. Stan Swamy, S.J., was arrested Oct. 8... Read more -
Polish priest, martyr and hero: Remembering Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko
When Communist officials kidnapped and killed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, they likely did not intend to help create a Polish hero, martyr and future saint for the Catholic Church. Although the Communists had been trying to kill Popiełuszko in ways that would seem like an accident, they... Read more -
Judge killed by mafia 30 years ago is a candidate for sainthood
Thirty years ago Judge Rosario Livatino was brutally killed by the mafia on his commute to work at a courthouse in Sicily. Today he is recognized in the Catholic Church as a Servant of God and a candidate for sainthood. Before his murder at the age of 37 on Sept. 21, 1990, Livatino... Read more -
Report: Chinese government imprisoning more priests, bishops
The Chinese government continues to imprison Catholic clergy - including bishops - who refuse to support the Communist Party, according to a new report out of the province of Jiangxi. According to UCA News, priests in the Diocese of Yujiang who refuse to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic... Read more -
El Paso cathedral suffers vandalism attack
A vandal destroyed a statue of Jesus at St. Patrick Cathedral in El Paso, Texas on Tuesday, the latest in an ongoing series of attacks on churches across the United States. According to the diocese, someone entered the sanctuary of St. Patrick’s Cathedral Tuesday morning and... Read more -
Ex-Salvadoran colonel convicted of murdering 5 Spanish priests
A former colonel of the Salvadoran military, Inocente Orlando Montano Morales, has been convicted in a Spanish court for is participation in the murder of five Jesuit priests in 1989. Montano has been sentenced to more than 133 years in prison. The former colonel was El Salvador’s... Read more -
Man who went on vandalism spree at Louisiana Catholic church arrested
A man who went on an hours-long vandalism spree on Wednesday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Tioga, Louisiana has been arrested and has confessed to the crime, according to local authorities. During the act of vandalism, which lasted more than two hours, the assailant broke at... Read more