A prominent Catholic blogger and activist ended a two-week hunger strike in a Vietnamese prison after she met with visiting U.S. diplomats.

During the cave crisis, at the Cathedral of Saint Michael in Thare, a small village located along Nonghan Lake in northeastern Thailand’s Isaan region, Catholics offered Mass and asked for the intervention of St. Michael the Archangel to protect the young men.

The heavy hand of Beijing in political and economic affairs has more people in Hong Kong exploring the possibility of escape.

Church and political leaders alike expressed alarm over a growing culture of impunity. President Rodrigo Duterte’s frequent tirades against the Catholic Church in the Philippines are believed to have emboldened killers in the recent attacks against priests.

Pope Francis and Vatican diplomats have followed with growing concern the grave tensions and even threats of nuclear attacks that have been exchanged between the United States and North Korea.

"The situation is dire. We must do more to help [the Rohingya]," said the ambassador.