Father Moreno described the Hernández government as an authoritarian regime tilting toward a dictatorship. “It is a government that represents a threat to freedom of expression. It is a threat to defenders of human rights, and it is a government that threatens the fundamental rights of Honduran citizens.”

As same-sex marriage becomes more mainstream, the church holds the line on L.G.B.T. issues.

Msgr. Aris does not believe those in religious life in Haiti are currently being targeted more than other groups. Violent crime in Haiti is high but hard to measure since most crimes go unreported.

Some of the poorest parts of the island remain cut off from the transportation and energy infrastructure.

Pope Francis has encouraged church leaders to accept “a healthy dose of self-criticism.”

Life expectancy has dropped in the U.S. for two consecutive years. Guns, drugs and car accidents are deadlier here than in peer nations.