The trial against Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen and five other defendants formally opened in Hong Kong on Sept. 19, initiating highly controversial proceedings that could end in heavy fines or jail time and which have been widely criticized as an attack against democracy.
About a year ago, Jesuit Refugee Services USA staff at the U.S.-Mexico border realized something about many migrants’ journeys: They needed as much help settling into their final destinations as they did when they first entered the country.
Under the right moral conditions, a country has the right to purchase weapons to defend itself from those who attack it, Pope Francis said.
The strength of the Catholic Church in Central Asia is measured not in numbers, but by the diversity of its people, Pope Francis said.
When then-Princess Elizabeth II turned 21 on April 21, 1947, she broadcasted a speech from Cape Town, South Africa, where she dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth, saying, “God help me make good on my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share it.”
As war, violence and extremism in countries around the world threaten the lives of countless men, women and children, religions must rise above differences and be examples of peace and harmony, Pope Francis said.
Mexico’s fight for independence from Spain began with the ringing of a church bell. Now, more than 200 years later, it is with the ringing of church bells that Mexican Independence Day is celebrated.
Arriving in Kazakhstan, a country that borders Russia, Pope Francis said he came as a “pilgrim of peace” at a time when “our world urgently needs peace; it needs to recover harmony.”
Popes seem to have a habit of visiting Kazakhstan amid major crises and conflicts that risk fracturing regional stability and splintering its diverse religious and ethnic communities, and Pope Francis’ visit this week is no exception.
U.S. bishops are calling for world leaders to continue working towards nuclear disarmament after participants in the recent Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Review Conference (NPT) failed to reach a consensus on a final document.
