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Pope Benedict XVI and his key advisers are facing a long, hot summer of problem-solving and strategizing.

Bishop Francisco Claver, S.J., a defender of civil rights, died on July 1 in Manila, Philippines.

Fresh intercommunity dialogue is needed to resolve the difficulties surrounding controversial parades in Northern Ireland, said a Catholic priest in Belfast.

More than 400 people packed the chapel of a La Salle Brothers' school near downtown Lima, Peru for a July 8 vigil in support of British Brother Paul McAuley, who has been threatened with expulsion from the country.

Countries can take steps to ward off the curse, but weak governments postpone the task as easy money rolls in.

Juan Francisco Rodríguez Ríos and his wife María Elvira Hernández Galeana were killed on June 28.

Catholics can "take some holy pride that the bishops of Cuba were in this mediation," Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski said.

The 2009 fiscal period marked the third year in a row that Vatican expenses outpaced revenues.

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Thomas F. Farr's article "A Freedom Deferred" led off America's special issue on religion and international affairs. Prof. Farr makes the persuasive case that the United States must be more vigorous in its promotion of religious liberty abroad: "Social science is confirming what history and common sense suggest: religious freedom is necessary if self-governance is to yield political stability, economic growth, social harmony and peace. It is certainly necessary if nations are to rid themselves of religious extremism and terrorism, including the kinds of terrorism that have been exported to the American homeland."

In the interest of continuing the conversation, we asked Prof. Farr to respond to a few questions sparked by the second article in our special issue, "Christians and Statecraft," by Dennis Hoover. Hoover describes the advent of a new kind evangelical internationalism, which seeks to fight human trafficking, slavery, and the spread of AIDS. Prof. Farr also weighs in on the recent appointment of Suzan Johnson Cook as ambassador for International Religious Freedom. Our thanks to Prof. Farr.

What role can U.S. evangelicals play in promoting religious libery abroad?