In an unexpected diplomatic initiative to consolidate the fragile peace accord in Colombia, Pope Francis on Dec. 14 brought together the country’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, and his archrival, former president Senator Álvaro Uribe, a strong opponent of the accord.
Signs Of the Times
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Refugee Office
Moving quickly to strengthen the Section for Refugees and Migrants in the new Vatican department for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, Pope Francis has appointed as under secretaries a Canadian Jesuit, Michael Czerny, and an Italian member of the Scalabrini Fathers, Fabio Baggio. The Vati
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Gay Priests Prohibited
The Vatican on Dec. 7 declared that persons with ‘homosexual tendencies’ cannot be admitted to Catholic seminaries.
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Every church tells a story. (Even those with brutalist architecture.)
We become aware there is a much bigger story at work.
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News Briefs
Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., who served from 1983 to 2008 as the 29th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, died in Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 26, just four days shy of his 88th birthday. • In a report released on Nov. 30, Caritas Europa charged that austerity policies have left 120 million p
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Hidden homelessness spikes in a high rent New York
New Yorkers can be forgiven if they believed homelessness were a problem consigned to the past.
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Jesuits: Models of reconciliation for a world in need of mercy
In a world of conflict, deeply in need of the mercy frequently implored by Pope Francis, Jesuits can be agents of reconciliation and dialogue, the Society’s new superior general said in an exclusive interview with America.Arturo Sosa, S.J., elected on Oct. 14 superior general for the Society o
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A pledge to protect ‘Dreamers’
Presidents of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities pledged themselves to “protect to the fullest extent of the law undocumented students on our campuses” and to “promote retention of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program” in a statement released on Nov. 30. The pr
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Post-Castro Church
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami was one of the first Catholic Church officials to respond on Nov. 26 after the death of Fidel Castro. “The death of this figure should lead us to invoke the patroness of Cuba, the Virgin of Charity, calling for peace for Cuba and its people,” he said
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An American Martyr
Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of the Rev. Stanley Rother of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, making him the first martyr born in the United States and clearing the way for his beatification. The Vatican made the announcement on Dec. 2. Father Rother, born March 27, 1935, on his family&r