It was announced on April 12 that Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to Mexico since 2007, to be the new apostolic nuncio to the United States. • Urging more action on the second anniversary of the abduction of 219 school girls from Chibok in northeastern
Signs Of the Times
Ceasefire on Contraception?
Religious nonprofits challenging their participation in the contraceptive mandate under the Affordable Care Act filed a legal brief on April 12 that could end the standoff with the Obama administration. In the brief, objectors to the mandate agreed with a U.S. Supreme Court proposal that such covera
High Pressure at Indian Point
Millions of New Yorkers presumably would have to be evacuated in the event of a major accident at the nuclear facility.
Francis in Greece: Words and Actions on Refugee Crisis
Pope Francis brought a message of love and inclusion during his five-hour visit to the Greek island of Lesbos on April 16 in a way that resonated across the world. And in what has become typical for this papacy, he did so by both words and gestures.While the decision to take three Syrian refugee fam
Finishing the Fight Against H.I.V./Aids
The fight against H.I.V./AIDS is being hampered by a continued stigma on those who are infected, a lack of access to appropriate medical care and fake antiretroviral drugs pedaled on the black market, said activists taking part in a Caritas Internationalis conference. Caritas brought together repres
Sanders Takes a Roman Holiday
Heading back to Rome following his moving visit with refugees in Greece on April 16, Pope Francis confirmed to reporters that he had met with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders that morning as he was leaving his residence. Sanders and other participants at a Vatican conference were staying in the Domus San
Blocking Extremism
Church officials in Pakistan have backed a government plea to the international community not to demonize all Muslims because of acts of terrorism committed by a few extremists. Negative news and publicity against Muslims by the Western media are helping extremists fuel hatred against Muslims worldw
A Capitalist Mission in Cuba
The Catholic Church is vying with Communism by teaching Cubans capitalism.
Suicide Alert
On a number of Native American reservations the suicide rate is unusually high. That is especially true on the Rosebud Reservation in south central South Dakota. In 2007—at the height of an ongoing suicide epidemic—the number of deaths by suicide on Rosebud was roughly 13 times the natio
Brother in Waiting
The Indian government might have dispelled rumors of the alleged Good Friday crucifixion of the Salesian priest Thomas Uzhunnalil, but his brother, Mathew, still worries. “I am waiting for clear good news,” said Uzhunnalil, 73. Since his brother was kidnapped in Aden, Yemen, Uzhunnalil h
