Officials had only confirmed two deaths by that afternoon, but residents and volunteers feared the number would rise. Water and mud swept over the rural area of one of Brazil’s most famous historic cities, Mariana, leaving a trail of destruction.
News
Supreme Court will hear appeals in Catholic, other groups’ mandate cases
Among the plaintiffs are the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Archdiocese of Washington, Priests for Life and Texas Baptist University.
Keystone pipeline’s long political odyssey ends
The president said that America is now a global leader in taking serious action to fight climate change. “And frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership. And that’s the biggest risk we face—not acting.”
Funds for mental health, addiction treatment called ‘moral imperative’
“We would never allow this to happen if this were any other physical illness,” said Kennedy, who represented a congressional district in Rhode Island for 16 years before stepping down in 2011.
A release of the full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership provokes condemnation from critics
This is the first time the U.S. public has been able to read the fine print of a deal that will govern issues related to commerce, intellectual property and human and labor rights for 40 percent of the global economy—if it clears substantial hurdles being erected in Washington.
Book details behind-the-scenes battle to reform Vatican finances
While Francis has hoped to set an example, rejecting the pomp of a papal palace for modest living quarters, Curia cardinals are said to live in “princely dwellings” around 10 times the size of the pope’s residence. One Italian monsignor allegedly expanded his own apartment by breaking down a wall into the home of his neighbor, an elderly priest who was in the hospital at the time.
Catholic and Lutherans highlight 50 years of effort toward unity
The bishops did not downplay those issues which still divide Lutherans and Catholics, but wanted to “work from the vantage point of where we agree rather than those things which divide us.”
Cardinal Peter Turkson: The earth is at risk, something must be done
Cardinal Turkson said the measure of success for the Paris summit on climate change, which begins Nov. 30, is “the extent to which people and groups are coming on board.” He noted there is substantial public awareness about “what is at stake.”
‘VatiLeaks’ 2015: Books claim strong resistance to pope’s finance reform
Gianluigi Nuzzi, the Italian journalist who published documents stolen from Pope Benedict XVI’s private office by his butler, has a new book out based on more leaked documents. “Merchants in the Temple: Inside Pope Francis’s Secret Battle Against Corruption in the Vatican,” was scheduled for release in English Nov. 5.
Vatican spokesman confirms money laundering investigation
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the spokesman, issued a statement on Nov. 4 about the investigations involving the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See. The office, known by its Italian acronym APSA, handles the Vatican’s investment portfolio and its real estate holdings.
