A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs, by Kevin Clarke

Pope Leo offered a heartening message for a global media that has endured a pretty awful year.

President Trump offered a vibrant demonstration of the kind of worst-case scenario Pope Leo may have had in mind about the collapse of critical thinking.

“These proposed changes threaten access to care for millions of Americans, particularly those in underserved areas, where our member systems work every day to provide quality, compassionate care.”

“I’m glad that there are people still coming through,” Zomi leader Francis Kham says, but refugee resettlement “should be extended to everyone that’s really [facing] the same discrimination.”

Father Robert Prevost first arrived in Peru in 1985 during a time of crisis, the aftermath of devastating El Niño rains that had left thousands of people homeless.

The late pope’s attention to geographic detail led to what was described as the most diverse conclave in the history of the church.

A Reflection for the Feast of Sts. Philip and James, Apostles, by Kevin Clarke

The pope’s attention to migration and climate change were well known, but the pope was also attentive to a number of other global issues and challenges like nuclear disarmament, tax justice, development, and the rise of autonomous (A.I.) weapons systems.

The Israeli military began perhaps its most aggressive ground offensive so far in the war to root out what is left of Hamas, maintaining an almost daily pace of incursions and airstrikes. The results have been devastating.