Jews worldwide will remember the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. In a direct German translation, it means “Crystal Night,” but it is more commonly thought of as “Night of Broken Glass,” as Nazis and their sympathizers rampaged through Nazi Germany — which by this time had absorbed Austria and the Sudetenland — the night of Nov. 9-10, 1938.
Sally Axworthy, the British ambassador to the Holy See and a supporter of women in leadership, has said she believes the Vatican is making progress and finds the Catholic Church, particularly women religious, to be a key partner in fighting plagues such as slavery and human trafficking.
On the same road and with the same style of last year’s attack, members of ISIS killed seven Coptic Christians Nov. 2 on a bus carrying worshippers returning from a visit to St. Samuel the Confessor Monastery in El Minya Governorate.
The caravan of migrants making its way through Mexico has started arriving in Mexico City, where the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the world’s most-visited Marian shrine, has opened its shelter for pilgrims to weary Central American migrants.
Visitors from around the world come to Trafalgar Square to admire famed works of art in the National Gallery, the towering Lord Nelson column, and to get a glimpse of Big Ben at the end of Whitehall. Yet for Dame Louise Casey, who served as Britain’s homelessness czar under Tony Blair, she wants passersby to look past things, and at the people.
As Latin America’s most influential nation appears set to veer in a direction hostile to Pope Francis’ priorities, it’s inevitable that Brazilians, and Latin Americans generally, are going to be looking to the pope to provide both an alternative vision and hope that it’s achievable.
In May, the traditionally Catholic country of Ireland voted overwhelmingly to legalize abortion. Now, in the United Kingdom, efforts are underway to make abortion laws more permissive and to force North Ireland – where the practice is highly restricted – to do the same.
Observers who’ve watched the dramatic case of Asia Bibi unfold over the past eight years said that despite some immediate backlash, the Pakistani Supreme Court’s decision Wednesday, Oct. 31 to acquit the Catholic mother of five of blasphemy charges marks a major step toward making the country a more modern, tolerant nation.
Gushing winds took over the Eternal City this week, accompanying the close of a month-long summit of Catholic bishops on young people. Braving the weather, with habits flapping under heavy gusts, representatives of religious sisters from around the world met Tuesday to discuss the synod’s legacy and challenges.
As President Donald Trump prepares to send 5,200 troops to Mexican border to block some 4,000 Central American asylum-seekers, Catholic leaders are urging governments to address the underlying causes of migration while reminding people that seeking asylum is not a crime.
