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Death of nearly 8000 migrants in 2025 is ‘nothing short of a tragedy’ says bishop

Church in Europe

Migrants from Syria and Libya in a wooden boat call for help as they are assisted by Spanish NGO Open Arms during a rescue operation inside Malta’s SAR zone south of the Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean sea, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. (Credit: Francisco Seco/AP.)

Death of nearly 8000 migrants in 2025 is ‘nothing short of a tragedy’ says bishop

Apr 22
Fionn Shiner

Swans sleep outside the gate of the Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde in Bruges, Belgium, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Credit: Virginia Mayo/AP.)

Belgium’s Beguinages: Tranquil oases in a world of noise and distraction

Apr 19
Virginia Mayo,
Associated Press

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech in Crozon, France, March 2, 2026. (Credit: Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP.)

French government engages in ‘general mobilization’ against pro-life activists

Apr 17
Fionn Shiner

An election poster of the German far right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), right, is attached to a lamppost in front of a giant election poster showing a map of Germany, at the headquarters of the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 29, 2025. Slogan reads: ‘Now AfD’. (Credit: Michael Sohn/AP.)

Germany’s far-right targets church funding

Apr 15
Fionn Shiner

Priests bless believers and their Easter baskets to mark Orthodox Easter, in Pyrohiv, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Credit: Efrem Lukatsky/AP.)

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of violating Putin’s Easter ceasefire

Apr 13
Derek Gatopoulos,
Vasilisa Stepanenko, Associated Press

People cry as they hold hold photos of their missed relatives as Ukrainian soldiers return from captivity during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Credit: Efrem Lukatsky/AP.)

Orthodox Easter truce falters as Ukraine says Russia continues drone strikes

Apr 12
Derek Gatopoulos,
Associated Press

The Spanish flag flies in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. (Credit: Manu Fernandez/AP.)

Vatican drops investigation against Spanish bishop accused of sexual abuse

Apr 11
Fionn Shiner

Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on April 9, 2026. (Credit: Sputnik via AP.)

Russia’s Putin declares a ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter

Apr 10
Associated Press

Pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as they hold Iranian flags and a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (Credit: Vahid Salemi/AP.)

Pastors blessing Trump and asking God for war victory was shameful, says Spanish bishop

Apr 9
Fionn Shiner

A hooded penitent of the Nuestro Padre Jesus del Huerto y San Diego brotherhood participates in a Holy Week procession in Baena, southern Spain, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Credit: Manu Fernandez/AP.)

Women take pride in Holy Week roles after a Spanish Catholic brotherhood’s procession excluded them

Apr 4
Manu Fernandez,
Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press