Sister Marie Claude Naddaf, provincial leader of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd for Lebanon and Syria, is still shaken by what she witnessed visiting Irbil, Iraq. Representing the Union of the Superior Generals of women religious in Lebanon, Sister Marie Claude accompanied Catholic Near East Welfa

Diverse group of church leaders, politicians, laity meet in Washington

Eight years ago this Friday Sept 12 Pope Benedict XVI delivered a lecture at the University of Regensburg in Bavaria in which he seemed to diagnose Islam as a religion inherently flawed by fanaticism It was an undiplomatic assertion to say the least.

Government wants religious order to comply with interim rules on contraception mandate.

Challenged by poverty, violence, social norms

Catholic left "afraid and unprotected" after Islamist militants seized Tripoli and Benghazi.