Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Dec 19, 2019 / 10:47 am (CNA).- Extremist attacks have risen dramatically in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, from 180 incidents in 2017 to more than 800 violent attacks in 2019, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The rise in violence by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara

Mosul, Iraq, Dec 19, 2019 / 03:01 am (CNA).- The Great Al-Tahira Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Bakhdida remains charred black inside, five years after the Islamic State plundered and set it aflame; however, in 2020 the Syriac Catholic cathedral will be restored as Iraq’s largest Christian community fights to rebuild and regain what was lost.

Washington D.C., Dec 19, 2019 / 12:03 am (CNA).- As support for the death penalty decreases in the U.S., so does the number of inmates executed by the states, said a new report this week. The non-profit Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) said in a Dec. 17 report that 22 state executions were carried out

Digos, Philippines, Dec 18, 2019 / 10:01 pm (CNA).- After a southern Philippines earthquake killed at least nine and displaced thousands of people on Monday, survivors emphasized their need for fresh water, and Catholic leaders called for prayer and aid for the victims as Christmas approaches. “Let us remember our brothers and sisters in Mindanao,

Vatican City, Dec 18, 2019 / 11:36 am (CNA).- A new Netflix production, “The Two Popes” centers on several imagined meetings between Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio in the period between the 2005 conclave which elected Benedict and the 2013 conclave which elected Pope Francis. Benedict XVI is played by Anthony Hopkins, and

Vatican City, Dec 18, 2019 / 03:12 am (CNA).- Pope Francis Wednesday called Christmas nativity scenes a “domestic Gospel,” which helps to make the Holy Family present in one’s home. He also encouraged every family to have one in their home at Christmas time. During his last general audience of 2019, Francis said Dec. 18

Denver, Colo., Dec 18, 2019 / 03:01 am (CNA).- After a prominent archbishop commented to journalists last week that he would hold the hand of a person dying of assisted suicide, two priests and a cardinal offered their perspectves to CNA on what a priest ought to do if faced with a person wishing to

Los Angeles, Calif., Dec 18, 2019 / 12:47 am (CNA).- As Planned Parenthood prepares to open as many as 50 centers in Los Angeles public high schools, critics are warning that the organization will not help teens receive the formation they need for practicing virtue and building successful relationships. Kathleen Domingo, senior director at the

Columbus, Ohio, Dec 17, 2019 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- An Ohio state representative told the Cincinnati Enquirer Dec. 17 that he did not consult with doctors before crafting a bill that would allow insurance providers to pay for procedures to “reimplant” embryos removed from ectopic pregnancies – a procedure that does not yet exist. State

Vatican City, Dec 17, 2019 / 12:56 pm (CNA).- In 2019, Pope Francis unveiled a new bronze sculpture in St. Peter’s Square, “Angels Unawares,” a depiction of migrants throughout history crammed together on a boat with the holy family. The sculpture’s artist, Timothy Schmalz, told CNA Tuesday that a second cast of the “Angels Unawares”