Catholic Extension plans to expand its outreach in the Caribbean region, funding church reconstruction in Cuba and expanding its century-long involvement in Puerto Rico in response to the island’s ongoing debt crisis, the Rev. Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension, said during a news conf
Signs Of the Times
Posted inSigns Of the Times
Peace Deal Defeated
The stunning defeat of a referendum on Oct. 2 for a peace deal with leftist rebels leaves Colombians with no Plan B to save an accord that sought to bring an end to a half century of hostilities. Instead of winning by an almost two-to-one margin on Sunday, as polls had predicted, those favoring the
Posted inFaith, Signs Of the Times
L.G.B.T. Catholics Should Be ‘Accompanied,’ Pope Francis Urges
Flying back to Rome on Oct. 2 after a visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan, the pope was asked how, given his criticism on Oct. 1 of “gender theory” and of what he calls “ideological colonization,” he would provide pastoral care to a person who felt his or her sexuality did not co
Posted inPolitics & Society, Signs Of the Times
Death Penalty on the Ropes?
“We want to let Catholics all throughout the state know that the death penalty is not necessary to protect public safety,” Tom Venzor, head of the Nebraska Catholic Conference, said at a press event on Sept. 29.
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News Briefs
Subtly acknowledging Georgia’s ongoing territorial dispute with Russia, Pope Francis urged greater efforts to sow peace throughout the Caucasus region shortly after arriving in Tbilisi on Sept. 30. • On Sept. 27 Catholics joined a group of other faith leaders as part of the “We Stan
Posted inPolitics & Society, Signs Of the Times
Once accepted, now rejected, Haitian immigrants are left in limbo
For displaced Haitians in San Diego and Mexico, the real emergency is what to do now.
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News Briefs
The Nigerian government reported on Sept. 22 that President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking U.N. assistance in negotiations to exchange the kidnapped schoolgirls from Chibok for captured leaders of Boko Haram. • Catholic Extension officials announced on Sept. 19 that Melva Arbelo, director of the S
Posted inSigns Of the Times
U.N. Summit Seeks New Strategy On Global Migration Crisis
High on the agenda for the September meeting of the U.N. General Assembly was the revision and reinvigoration of the global community’s approach to the treatment of displaced people and refugees. The global community has attempted, by fits and starts, to deal with an unprecedented humanitarian
Posted inSigns Of the Times
Three Priests Killed Over Two Days
A missing priest was found shot dead off the side of a highway in western Mexico days after he was kidnapped from his parish residence, state prosecutors said on Sept. 25. He was the third Roman Catholic priest to be slain in Mexico in the last week.The Michoacan state Attorney General's Office
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Saving Christians
Speakers addressing the Helsinki Commission, a Congressional advisory group that monitors global human rights conditions, on Sept. 22 called upon the United States to step up efforts to provide financial support to nongovernmental organizations that serve thousands of displaced people in northern Ir