With Jerusalem announcement, Trump isn’t ‘recognizing reality.’ He’s making it worse.

by Margot Patterson December 11, 2017

The ‘chaos candidate’ is now our pyromaniac president.

Politics & Society, Vatican Dispatch

Pope Francis calls on world leaders to “avert a new spiral of violence” in Jerusalem and the Middle East

by Gerard O’Connell December 10, 2017

Sources in the Vatican say they cannot understand how President Trump’s decision to recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel can be in the best interests of the United States.

The gold-covered Dome of the Rock at the Temple Mount complex is seen in this overview of Jerusalem's Old City Dec. 6. In an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, Christian leaders in Jerusalem said U.S. recognition of the city as the capital of Israel could have dire regional consequences. (CNS photo/Debbie Hill)

News, Politics & Society

Trump’s decision on Jerusalem is a Middle East deal-breaker

by Drew Christiansen December 6, 2017

With today’s announcement, President Trump has dispelled any thought that he can broker an agreement in the disputatious Holy Land.

A woman prays on the Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem on Sept. 11. The city is considered sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims. (CNS photo/Debbie Hill)

Politics & Society, Vatican Dispatch

Pope Francis warns of new ‘tension’ if U.S. embassy is moved to Jerusalem

by Gerard O’Connell December 6, 2017

Without naming President Trump, the pope urged all nations to “respect the status quo” of Jerusalem in accordance with United Nations resolutions.

A passenger arrives through the U.S. Customs gate Dec. 4 at Logan International Airport in Boston. The Supreme Court will allow the latest version of President Donald Trump's travel ban to take effect while the legal fight over it winds through the lower courts. (CNS photo/CJ Gunther, EPA)

News, Politics & Society

Court allows travel ban to be implemented as legal challenges continue

by Catholic News Service December 6, 2017

The Supreme Court’s order means that the Trump administration can fully carry out the ban — which is now in its third iteration.

Migrants arrive at Zefyros beach near the coast of the southeastern island of Rhodes, Greece, April 20, 2015. At least three people drowned the day after Pope Francis appealed for the international community to do more to prevent such migrant deaths. (CNS photo/Loukas Mastis, EPA)

Dispatches, Politics & Society

U.S. bishops urge Trump to reconsider withdrawal from U.N. migration compact

by Kevin Clarke December 5, 2017

The United States has removed itself from another international dialogue aimed at tackling a complex international challenge—migration.

News, Politics & Society

President Trump drastically cuts national monument sacred to Native Americans

by Emily McFarlan Miller - Religion News Service December 5, 2017

The presidential proclamations would cut the monument by 85 percent.

Politics & Society, Short Take

In cowboy country, inequality is not a bug. It’s a uniquely American strategy.

by Nathan Schneider November 22, 2017

The goal is not to make sure everyone is safe and secure. It is to enable a few people to do really, really well.

Giant machines dig for brown coal at the open-cast mining Garzweiler in front of a power plant near the city of Grevenbroich in western Germany in April 2014. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

Dispatches, Politics & Society

Catholic eco-activists frustrated that U.S. left behind as climate change efforts negotiated in Bonn

by Kevin Clarke November 17, 2017

“What we need to do is just continue to live out the challenge of ‘Laudato Si’,’ which is to examine our relationship with the earth, with God and with each other to see how we can become better stewards of this gift of the earth.”