When the Knights of Columbus held an awards ceremony on the eve of its recent 141st Supreme Convention, guests were treated to a performance by the Celtic folk band Scythian.
Russia
Pope Condemns Attacks on Civilian Targets After Caritas Warehouse Destroyed in Ukraine
Pope Francis has condemned the routine use of “conventional weapons” against civilian targets in a message to Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, sent the day after a warehouse in Ukraine containing 300 tons of humanitarian aid was destroyed in a Russian drone attack.
In Poland, Care for Ukraine Refugees Shifts From Immediate to Long-Term Needs
On March 9, 2022, Valentina Polischak fled Huliaipole, Ukraine. It was four days after Russian soldiers had invaded her small town in the southern part of the country, about 90 miles northwest of Mariupol, and “shot all of the cars and homes,” leaving it without running water or electricity.
Pope’s Peace Envoy Meets Ukraine Bishops Amid Fallout Over ‘Great Mother Russia’ Remarks
In a session with Catholic bishops from Ukraine Thursday, Sept. 7, Pope Francis’s personal peace envoy told the Ukrainian prelates that “victory” in the war with Russia would be “peace, and never the humiliation of the enemy.”
Pope Says Religion and Culture Can be Misused to Frighten and Oppress
When religion or culture is used to sow division or to impose a certain world view on others, it becomes an ideology, Pope Francis said.
After Russia Remarks Stir Outrage, Vatican Says Pope Never Intended to ‘Glorify Imperialist Logic’
Russian clergy and lay Catholics were “caught by surprise” by the pope’s remarks in a video call Aug. 25 to a youth gathering in St. Petersburg praising the country’s past empire and urging young people to “never give up this heritage.”
Pope, Top U.S. Military Officer Discuss War in Ukraine
The top-ranking U.S. military officer told reporters he and Pope Francis discussed the war in Ukraine, especially the war’s impact on the people there.
Pope Closes World Youth Day Expressing ‘Great Sorrow’ for War in Ukraine
Pope Francis, having not mentioned the war in Ukraine throughout his 5-day visit to Portugal, offered explicit prayers for peace in the country on his final day, while also telling young people they are signs of peace for the world.
Russian Orthodox Prelate Thanks Pope for Ukraine Peace Efforts
During a meeting with interreligious leaders Aug. 4 in Lisbon, Pope Francis spoke to a Russian Orthodox bishop who voiced regret for the Ukraine war and thanked the pontiff for his repeated efforts and words on behalf of the Ukrainian people.
Pope to Russia: Destroying Grain, Creating Hunger is ‘Grave Offense to God’
Destroying grain is a “grave offense to God,” Pope Francis said, appealing to authorities in Russia as “my brothers” and urging them to resume cooperating with a United Nations’ initiative to guarantee the safe transport of grain out of Ukraine.