Gabon military leaders claimed that electoral malpractice was one of the reasons for the coup, but another surely must be the growing frustration of the general public with a ruling elite who live in luxury while life for average Gabonese, despite its oil riches, remains a struggle.
Dispatches
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Argentina’s pope-hating next president?
Argentina’s leader presidential candidate Javier Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, has derided Pope Francis as “a malignant presence on earth,” denounced him as a “filthy leftist” and charged that the pope had “an affinity for murderous communists.”
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Head of Catholic Relief Services on Gaza: ‘We need to act now to prevent a total humanitarian catastrophe’
Commenting on President Biden’s visit to Israel, C.R.S. President Sean Callahan said, “We appreciate the president’s call for respect for the human dignity of all and his announcement that humanitarian aid will be allowed into Gaza from Egypt. Civilians in Gaza cannot wait any longer and this plan must be implemented immediately.”
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
African National Congress stands with Palestinians, and South African bishops call for ceasefire
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the A.N.C. remained steadfast in advocating for peace between Israel and Palestine. He said the A.N.C. stood with Palestine and its citizens, who have been oppressed for more than 70 years.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
As global focus moves elsewhere, a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan worsens
Sandesh Gonsalves, who leads the Jesuit Refugee Service team in Afghanistan, reports that Afghans are struggling in the wake of a “massive” earthquake that struck on Oct. 7. According to U.N. sources, the humanitarian aid system in Afghanistan is already desperately overstretched and underfunded, with over 29 million Afghans in need of assistance.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Tensions high in Jerusalem and West Bank as Gaza bombing continues
While outright war conditions pertain in Gaza and along its border in southern Israel, in the north, in Jerusalem and the West Bank, conditions are also fraught. Violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers has broken out sporadically.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
As war begins again in Holy Land, Jesuit David Neuhaus hopes Christians can be instruments of peace
Father Neuhaus: The current military confrontations in the Holy Land are accompanied by a war to control public opinion at home and abroad. The rhetoric used on both sides basically denies the other side’s humanity.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Is it Ireland’s turn to ward off a toxic populism?
The protest was organized over social media, where it was dubbed “Call to the Dáil,” drawing participants from far-right groups and individuals nurturing a host of grievances and anxieties about contemporary Irish society, from Covid-19 conspiracies to immigration and transgender issues, housing shortages and the economy.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Dianne Feinstein, Catholic school grad, praised by Archbishop Cordileone, Nancy Pelosi
The archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, released a lengthy statement on Thursday, praising the late Senator Dianne Feinstein’s “civility.”
Posted inDispatches, Faith
With a new cardinal, Jerusalem (finally) finds its place at the heart of the Catholic Church
In his first Mass as cardinal, he acknowledged the flood of congratulations he had received from all quarters and all sects of his diocese. “Cardinals in our time are no longer the princes of the church,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said, “but its servants and those of the people of God.”