Four Catholic Relief Service staff members on their way to a training session in Nairobi, Kenya, were among the passengers aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed moments after takeoff in the east African nation.

Thomas J. Rodi asked for prayers for "those who lost their lives and their loved ones as well as those who have lost homes and businesses."

Though not usually seen as a major player in global politics, Canada has taken a leadership role in the Lima Group, which aims to restore “constitutional democracy” in Venezuela.

The Jesuit program’s emphasis on nutrition, health and education components is a trifecta of basic social needs that its sponsors say are essential for the nation’s future development.

“The hour is serious, poverty is increasing; the common good is threatened,” Haiti’s bishops wrote. “The country is on the brink of collapse!”

“As long as there is a dictatorship in Venezuela, it is better not to return,” said Alexander. “I feel that there is an illegitimate government, a power that literally controls everything, but also an opposition that has defrauded the people many times.”