September 1, 2016 The Latest: Pope takes charge of church's migrant response The Latest on xxxxxxx (all times local): 1:25 p.m.
September 1, 2016 Myanmar Buddhist group criticizes former UN chief Kofi Annan A prominent anti-Muslim group of Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar is criticizing former U.N.
August 31, 2016 IS spokesman killed in Syria in major blow to militant group The Islamic State group's spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the extremist group's attacks against the West, has been killed while overseeing operations in northern Syria, the group has announced.
August 31, 2016 String of Bahraini prison sentences issued against Shiites Courts in Bahrain have issued a string of guilty verdicts against Shiite activists and clerics, including a blogger who was sentenced to one year in prison for insulting the king and inciting hatred against the government.
August 31, 2016 Saudi Arabia sentences man to 10 years in jail and 2,000 lashes for tweeting he was atheist A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to ten years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing his atheism on Twitter.
August 31, 2016 Egypt approves law on churches despite Christian opposition Egypt's state news agency says parliament has approved a first-ever law to regulate the construction of churches despite opposition from rights groups and Coptic Christian leaders.
August 31, 2016 Pope assumes responsibility for migrants in Vatican reform Pope Francis is showing his profound concern for refugees by assuming direct responsibility for migrant issues in a new Vatican department that merges four Vatican offices into one handling peace, the environment and human trafficking issues.
August 31, 2016 Uzbek PM leads national celebration; president still ill Uzbekistan's prime minister is leading the nation's Independence Day celebration in the capital of Tashkent amid reports of President Islam Karimov's illness.
August 31, 2016 Pope applauds Colombia peace deal but sidesteps truth panel Pope Francis has praised Colombia's peace deal but has declined an invitation to have a Vatican envoy help select judges for the proposed truth and justice commission.
August 31, 2016 Mother Teresa: A saint despite spiritual 'darkness' When Pope Francis canonizes Mother Teresa on Sunday, he'll be honoring a nun who won admirers around the world and a Nobel Peace Prize for her joy-filled dedication to the "poorest of the poor." He'll also be recognizing holiness in a woman who felt so abandoned by God that she was unable to pray and was convinced, despite her ever-present smile, that she was experiencing the "tortures of hell." For nearly 50 years, Mother Teresa endured what the church calls a "dark night of the soul" — a period of spiritual doubt, despair and loneliness that many of the great mystics experienced, her namesake St. Therese of Lisieux included.
