Pope Francis speaks by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked the Pope for his constant prayers as the nation endures ongoing aggression.

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The Chairman of the US Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, says the climate provisions contained in the Inflation Reduction Act respond to Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home.

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WASHINGTON - News of the detention in Lebanon of Maronite Archbishop Moussa El-Hage, O.A.M. last month, as he was returning from a routine visit to his Episcopal See in Haifa and the Holy Land, has caused great concern. In solidarity with Patriarch Bechara Boutros Cardinal Raï and the Maronite Church, Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, issued the following statement:

“The arbitrary detention and interrogation of Archbishop Moussa El-Hage, the Maronite Archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land, by Lebanese security, is cause for alarm. The archbishop was returning from one of his regular visits to the Holy Land and bringing much needed aid that the Lebanese diaspora in Israel wanted to send to family members in Lebanon. All this was confiscated by Lebanese security forces, along with his cell phone and passport.

“The Permanent Synod of Maronite Bishops, at a July 20 meeting convened by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Raï, condemned what happened to Archbishop El-Hage, saying the incident ‘brought us back to the times of occupation and rulers in the previous centuries, when the invaders and occupiers were trying to undermine the role of the Church in Lebanon and the East and its brotherhood between religions.’ The apostolic nuncio in Lebanon, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, has also described the detention as ‘a dangerous precedent.’

“As Lebanon goes through difficult times and crises, we renew our stand in solidarity with Cardinal Raï and the Synod of Bishops. We also pray for the protection of the Church in Lebanon and its charitable work as it comes under increasing pressure. We further support the call of Patriarch Raï for the ‘active neutrality’ of Lebanon, so that it will remain a place of conviviality between Christians and Muslims and a beacon of hope for all Christians of the Middle East. May Lebanon prosper again and enjoy total sovereignty and lasting peace.”

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Media Contact:
Chieko Noguchi
202-541-3200

The London-based Ukrainian Welcome Centre is providing support and hope to thousands of Ukrainians who have arrived in the UK in order to escape the bloodshed in their country.

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The Pandemic and the Magisterium of Pope Francis: the third in a series of videos created by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Vatican's Covid-19 Commission explores the Pope's teachings on the global health crisis, reaffirming that one does not come out of the crisis the same, but either better or worse. And "one does not come out alone" but "taking the other by the hand".

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In an interview with Vatican News, the Apostolic Administrator of Mogadishu, Bishop Giorgio Bertin, talks about the humanitarian emergency in Somalia facing its worst drought in 40 years, as the Church seeks to offer humanitarian relief for the millions of people affected.

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As the war wages on in Ukraine, UNICEF has launched a new mobile application for Ukrainian preschoolers that offers interactive games aimed at developing skills such as logic and creativity, in an effort to promote learning, play and distraction from the war.

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Ibtisam Habib Gorgis, a Franciscan Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, born in Qaraqosh, Iraq, recounts her vocation and the impact of Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit in 2021.

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Nigerian authorities announce the arrest of several suspects connected to the 5 June attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State – a win for the nation’s military amid rising insecurity in the world’s most populous African nation.

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WASHINGTON – Bishop David P. Talley of Memphis, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, has shared the statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Catholic co-chairman of the National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue.

Full text of Cardinal Cupich’s statement, “Catholics in the United States Stand in Solidarity with Our Muslim Neighbors,” follows:

“In light of the tragic loss of four Muslim lives in Albuquerque this past week, I affirm the Archdiocese of Santa Fe’s statement that ‘the Catholic community stands in support of our Muslim brothers and sisters during this time of crisis.’ As chairman of the national Catholic-Muslim dialogue, I have been blessed to walk on the journey of dialogue and friendship with our Muslim neighbors from around the United States. We join you in your sorrow and promise you a remembrance in our prayers. 

“In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis highlighted an important observation of the Bishops of India: ‘The goal of dialogue is to establish friendship, peace and harmony, and to share spiritual and moral values and experiences in a spirit of truth and love’ (271). May all people of good will work together to deliver our communities from all forms of violence so that we might enjoy the gift of God’s peace.”

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Media Contact:
Chieko Noguchi
202-541-3200