For Iraqis, the first week of August 2014 will forever be etched into their memory as the start of one of the worst episodes of religious and ethnic persecution the country has ever seen when the so-called Islamic State overtook the Plain of Nineveh.
Catholic bishops in Japan called for the prohibition of nuclear weapons as they announced a 10-day prayer program marking the anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
Two rescue boats carrying 800 migrants saved from sinking or overcrowded vessels have been forced to roam the international waters of the Mediterranean for more than four days, waiting for permission to dock at a safe port.
Marking the one-year anniversary of a deadly explosion in Beirut, Pope Francis said Lebanon needs concrete help — not just words — from the international community so it can emerge once again as a symbol of fraternity and peace for the Middle East.
Difficulties and crises within the Catholic Church are not signs of a church in decline but one that is alive and living through challenges, just like men and women today, Pope Francis said.
The damage sustained by St. Joseph Church from the August 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion has been repaired. But repairing parishioners’ frazzled nerves will take a lot longer.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its Migration and Refugee Services “are proud to have the opportunity to welcome and assist those who have kept Americans safe in Afghanistan,” said the USCCB president and the chairman of the bishops’ migration committee July 30.
Fifty years from now, Italians now alive probably will still smile whenever someone mentions the summer of 2021, what’s now being described as the greatest summer in the history of Italian sports, its “Summer of Gold.”
When Simone Biles, described as the world’s greatest gymnast, announced July 27 she would not be competing in a team event with the U.S. women’s Olympics gymnastics team and the next day withdrew from the all-around final, many people were shocked, but many supported her decision to prioritize her mental health.
In American politics, the term “October surprise” refers to the possibility that an incumbent president trailing in the polls may use executive authority to try to shake up the race late in game. Going to war would be the classic scenario, but it could also be some major economic, social or foreign policy twist.
