Catholic institutions in Zimbabwe and other African states once could rely on support from retired missionaries. Now the decline in missionary numbers has left African religious communities facing a financial crunch.
Humanitarian Aid
Posted inPolitics & Society, The Weekly Dispatch
As cease-fire wobbles, new study finds Gaza death toll likely much higher than believed
A new report published in the U.K. medical journal The Lancet indicates that far from exaggerating the human suffering in Gaza, the ministry has likely underestimated the true number of the dead by as much as 41 percent.
Posted inPolitics & Society, The Weekly Dispatch
Debt relief advocates make their case to Joe Biden before he leaves the White House
More than 60 Catholic institutions, congregations and individuals have signed a letter imploring Mr. Biden to endorse a new round of assistance to the world’s most indebted nations from the International Monetary Fund.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
The top 5 international Catholic stories you read in 2024 (and some we wish you had)
Top reports from America’s “Dispatches” department include looks at conflict, migration and geopolitics through a Catholic filter.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Exclusive: an interview with the cardinal-elect archbishop of Tokyo
When Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi receives the red hat and cardinal’s ring from Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, he will be the seventh Japanese cardinal in the history of the Catholic Church.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
What I saw at the border—and why it broke my heart
What I saw at the U.S.-Mexico border reminded me of the solidarity with migrants so often lacking in our country today.
Posted inLast Take, Politics & Society
Opening doors at Advent and all year long: How J.R.S. responds to the plight of refugees
When Pedro Arrupe, S.J., founded Jesuit Refugee Service in 1980, there were approximately 10 million forcibly displaced people in the world. Today, there are 120 million.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Reporting from Hurricane Helene’s ground zero: No ‘safe havens’
Helene’s devastation is offering a hard lesson: No community or U.S. region can consider itself safe from the extreme weather events that global warming is seeding and supercharging.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
‘Once the flood waters recede, Catholic Charities will still be there’: Rebuilding after Hurricane Helene
Chief Correspondent Kevin Clarke joined a team from Catholic Charities USA assessing needs in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
Posted inPolitics & Society, The Weekly Dispatch
Winter is coming in Gaza. How much worse will the misery get?
Most families have been forced to move many times and with each new displacement, families lose or abandon more belongings. Not many of them by now have clothing appropriate for worsening weather conditions.