Tensions between student demonstrators and authorities in Beijing rose as protests continued for broader democratic rights in Hong Kong in October. On Oct. 3 protesters accused police of allowing pro-government “thugs” to assault them in the city’s Mong Kok district.“Nothing
Signs Of the Times
C.R.S. Continues Response to Ebola
Catholic Relief Services has committed more than $1.5 million in private funds to continue its emergency response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has so far killed 2,800 people. While the World Health Organization has declared the outbreak contained in Senegal and Nigeria, the number of
‘I Am Because We Are’
Philosophy of ‘Ubuntu’ is important to the founding myth of the new South African nation.
Iraqi Refugees May Never Return
Iraqi refugees who fled Islamic State violence after Mosul was overrun say it will be difficult ever to return home, despite concerns by the church that more Christians are fleeing their ancient homeland in the Middle East. “I thought I was living in a kind of dystopian end-of-times film,&rdqu
Synod Looks At Remarried Catholics
Cardinal Walter Kasper of Germany, the author of a controversial proposal to make it easier for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion, said on Oct. 1 that he believes Pope Francis backs the measure but would not apply it without support from the bishops at the upcoming synods
Faith With Those Fries?
In many ways the success of In-N-Out Burgers in Los Angeles is mystifying.
News Briefs
Returning to her home in Miami after a month-long assignment to West Africa, Dr. Aileen Marty, a former U.S. Navy doctor and expert in infectious diseases, said on Sept. 22 that the deadly Ebola outbreak will be contained only if all ports of entry in the region are adequately screened for infected
Refugees, Fleeing ISIS, Threaten to Overwhelm Turkish Resources
On Sept. 18, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria began a military offensive outside of the Kobane area in northern Syria, and in no time they had terrorized and seized 60 of the surrounding villages. Over the next three days an unprecedented flight of 160,000 refugees escaped across Turkey’s s
Air Strikes Will Aid ISIS
Expanded airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Syria serve as little more than a recruiting tool for extremists and place more innocent people in danger, the leadership of Pax Christi International said on Sept. 23. The three top leaders of the Catholic peace organization also called upon the wor
South Sudan’s Bishops Call for End to Conflict
South Sudan’s bishops reiterated their call for an end to fighting in their country and warned of a humanitarian disaster. “The fighting and killing must stop immediately and unconditionally,” the bishops said on Sept. 25, at the end of a three-day meeting that coincided with the r
