Jimmy Lai, at 78, faces what amounts to a death sentence because of his stubborn insistence on freedom of expression in Hong Kong. Political leaders and human rights activists around the world quickly condemned the 20-year sentence handed down by a Hong Kong court on Feb. 9.
International
Posted inDispatches
The church in Spain wins an immigration victory after ‘royal decree’ offers amnesty to 500,000
As hostility toward immigrants in Europe and the United States is on the rise, Spain stands out as one of the few states that remains welcoming to migrants.
Posted inDispatches
Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants is safe—for now
They are safe for now but will Haitian immigrant residents lose temporary protected status as Secretary Krisit Noem and Trump administration desire? Their lawyer says, “Many of our clients—if not all of our clients—are absolutely petrified of going back” to Haiti.
Posted inThe Weekly Dispatch
Jesuits struggle with fallout from Trump policies on aid, immigration and deportation
Trump administration policies on humanitarian aid, immigration and mass deportation “have human afterlives, and they end up affecting communities; they end up affecting lives,” says Marco Gómez, S.J., the country director of Fe y Alegría in Panama. “These decisions, taken far away, are affecting concrete and real people.”
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Armenian-American Christians say proposed U.S. bill would reward Azerbaijan for ethnic cleansing
A new bill seeking to lift restrictions on Azerbaijan has provoked resistance from Armenian community.
Posted inThe Weekly Dispatch
A Catholic guide to resisting the ICE crackdown
As the nation veers into policies on war-making and immigration that disturb many, average Catholics are stepping up into activist roles to voice their concerns and assist their neighbors.
Posted inDispatches
A former Irish president’s provocative argument: Is infant baptism a threat to human rights?
McAleese desribes baptism as a kind of recruitment tool that ignores how children, as they mature, should be able to freely decide their own religious identity, noting that canon law acknowledges no right to exit Catholicism.
Posted inThe Weekly Dispatch
When Trump betrays our allies, America loses.
The nation’s withdrawal from multilateralism means the U.S. will cease being “in the room where it happens,” self-sabotaging a capacity to advance interests or resolve disputes in coordination with allied states.
Posted inNews
Vatican weighs joining Trump’s Board of Peace but calls for respect for international law
The Vatican’s second-highest-ranking official, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said the Holy See received the invitation and is considering whether to join Trump’s initiative.
Posted inThe Weekly Dispatch
How Vatican diplomats tried to resolve the Trump-Maduro standoff
While the rest of the Catholic world enjoyed its Christmas Eve, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with Brian Burch, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, discussing a deal that would allow Venezuela’s President Nicholás Maduro to escape to a comfortable exile in Russia.