Rainfall this week has helped disperse haze in several regions of Indonesia severely affected by forest and peat fires. The Voice of America news service reports that the governor of Riau province in northern Sumatra said Wednesday a 90-minute rainfall cleared much of the smoke and improved visibili

Syriac Catholic bishops, meeting in Lebanon during their annual synod, called for a diplomatic solution to achieve peace in Syria and Iraq.In a statement released at the conclusion of the synod, the bishops pleaded for an end to the civil was in Syria, now in its fifth year and urged countries&mdash

Climate change and the refugee crisis are the two biggest challenges facing Europe that need a unified response recognizing the “ecological debt” richer nations owe poorer ones, the president of Europe’s Roman Catholic bishops conference said on Oct. 29.

The magnitude-7.5 temblor on Oct. 26 left at least 380 people dead and thousands of homes and buildings badly damaged. The number of dead and injured will likely rise as first-responders reach affected areas. Initial reports indicate significant damage to homes and infrastructure in the hardest-hit areas of Pakistan. The earthquake also cutoff communication in parts of the two countries.

"I do believe all our prayers are headed in the same direction and can be a really powerful force coming together," said Peta Jones Pellach, an Orthodox Jewish woman. "I don't see it as just symbolic. I believe in the power of prayer."

"Only God knows the stories of those people who have given their lives, who have died, and continue to be stoned with the hardest stone that exists in the world: language."