Three patriarchs — two of them Orthodox and the other Catholic — have co-signed a statement strongly condemning the Western air strikes against Syrian government positions while reasserting their support for the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian allies.
That first Times story – one in no fewer than 50 anti-Oxfam articles it published over just 10 days – came just as the new darling of the Conservative right, the prominent parliamentary Catholic, Jacob Rees-Mogg, presented a petition to Downing Street on behalf of a Daily Express “crusade” entitled “Stop the foreign aid madness” – a sentiment which runs counter to decades of Catholic Social Teaching on aid endorsed by popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
A day before visiting CRS, Cardinal Tagle spent time visiting officials throughout Washington discussing the church’s view on migration and immigration and the need for a compassionate response for people on the move.
In evangelical thought the Jerusalem decision is in keeping with God’s biblical promise of the Holy Land to the Jewish people while the coalescing of Jews in Israel is, to evangelicals, a sign of the end-times when Christ will once again reign on earth. Catholics, the largest religious denomination in the United States, are wary of this fusion of Christian Zionism and apocalyptical theology and Pope Francis and the Vatican have been critical of President Trump’s Jerusalem move.
The holy places of the three great monotheistic religions – the Western Wall of the Temple, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher and the Esplanade of the Mosques – are located only meters apart.This is why the city has “a special vocation for peace,” as Pope Francis stated on Wednesday morning, just a few hours before Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
It gives me great pain to watch as the pluralist, tolerant, hospitable, creative society that Catalonia had become is being destroyed – from within and from without. It is a heartbreaking tragedy for Catalonia, for Spain, and for Europe. A “silent majority” of Catalans, proud of their culture but wanting to remain part of Spain and of the EU, is caught in the crossfire. Whatever the outcome of the current crisis, deep wounds have been opened up that will take another generation to heal.
The Catalan crisis is a European crisis. Guillermo Íñiguez explains why the troubles facing Catalonia in the wake of the independence referendum should concern citizens across the continent. Tolerating or even normalising the current Catalan secessionist plan could set a very dangerous precedent in Europe.
"As all of us know, in recent years the church has come to acknowledge her own failures in providing for the protection of children: Extremely grave facts have come to light, for which we have to accept our responsibility before God, before the victims and before public opinion," the pope said Oct. 6.
"Many of us feel intense pain, as if a dagger had been thrust into our guts," said Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera of Valencia. "What has happened is very serious -- an act of sedition, fraud and betrayal, a coup against the rule of law and a violation of the nation's constitutional order and the coexistence in freedom of all Spaniards."
Cardinal Charles Mayng Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, has urged Aung San Suu Kyi to speak out in defence of the tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar, but at the same time he condemned the “stigmatising” of the country’s de facto leader.
At the United Nations Summit held in New York on 29 September 2016, world leaders clearly expressed their desire to take decisive action in support of migrants and refugees to save their lives and protect their rights, sharing this responsibility on a global level. To this end, the states committed themselves to drafting and approving, before the end of 2018, two Global Compacts, one for refugees and the other for migrants.
"As we stand in solidarity with the people of Spain, I pray that God may restore peace and strengthen and sustain all people of goodwill in our resolve to stand united in the face of evil," Cardinal Vincent said in a statement released 18 August.
Two parallel conversations are going on about Brexit, with little connection between them. One is about the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the remaining 27 nations of the European Union. The other is about relations between the north and the south of Ireland. Neither of these conversations can be concluded without the other. But London insists on proceeding as if there might be two separate solutions.
“In this month of August, we have to come together and resolve: Filth — Quit India; Poverty – Quit India; Corruption – Quit India; Terrorism – Quit India; Casteism – Quit India; Communalism – Quit India,” Modi said.
Religious leaders have met in Japan to pray for peace in the world and as a response to Pope Francis asking them to foster dialogue, friendship and peace. Representatives of Buddhism, Shintoism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism came together in Japan at an inter-faith "Interreligious Gathering of Prayer for World Peace" held from Aug. 3 to 4.
The Bishops’ conference president Archbishop Diego Padron Sanchez, accused the government of trying to install a “military dictatorship, socialist, Marxist and communist”. Venezuela’s bishops have backed opponents of the move, calling it illegitimate, unnecessary and “damaging for the Venezuelan people".
Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim gave an impassioned speech at the BBC Proms, calling for European unity and warning against the dangers of nationalism and “isolationist tendencies”. Barenboim was directing Orchestra Staatskapelle Berlin on Sunday night at the Royal Albert Hall and ended the evening with a speech expressing his fears about the political climate across Europe.
Emmanuel Macron says he wants to work together with French Muslims to “to fight the spreading fanaticism” of the Islamic State group’s ideology, and to counter those who want to turn mosques into “places that preach hatred and violence".
As we aid and shelter our brothers and sisters caught in our wars, the cup of suffering becomes a cup of solidarity. Suffering shared is mercy experienced. As St. John Paul II writes, “The Eucharist is not merely an expression of communion in the Church’s life; it is also a project of solidarity for all humanity. … The Christian who takes part in the Eucharist learns to become a promoter of communion, peace and solidarity in every situation” (Mane Nobiscum Domine, 2004). May we Muslims and Christians drink from the same cup of suffering, and in doing so, allow God Almighty to transform our cup of suffering into a cup of blessing.
