After six years of war, “Yemen remains the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe,” according to the International Rescue Committee. Confirming that terribly sad fact, Catholic Relief Services reports, “Conflict and a lack of aid has triggered a humanitarian disaster, leaving 80 percent of the population in need of assistance, including 2 million children suffering from acute Read more
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), as reported by The Guardian, has warned that as COVID vaccines continue to roll out, the world faces a “catastrophic moral failure” as richer countries administer the vaccine on a vast scale, while poor countries are left behind.” The head of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, underscored the Read more
Thursday, April 22, we joined the global celebration of Earth Day and appropriate for Catholics to reflect on Pope Francis’ famous environmental encyclical letter “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.” Citing Francis of Assisi – patron saint of ecology – Pope Francis writes “our common home is like a sister with whom we Read more
Pope Francis has often urged us to prayerfully meditate before the crucifix. Because by prayerfully meditating before the crucifix, one can see and begin to understand the ultimate result of sin. The Romans’ sins, the Jews’ sins, our sins nailed our Lord Jesus to the cross. The cost of sin is death. Our sins killed Read more
Not only is the United States a divided country, but the Catholic Church in the U.S. is as divided as the nation. And the presidential election drove home that point. According to a PBS report in CathNews, VoteCast declared that 50 percent of Catholics backed Trump, while 49 percent voted for Biden. Many Catholics, like Read more
With so much of humanity sickened in soul and body by greed, self-centered indifference to suffering, inequality, polarization and violence, Pope Francis has wonderfully seized the moment by giving to our wounded world the balm of his new inspiring and challenging social encyclical letter titled Fratelli Tutti. Pope Francis warns that humanity is largely going Read more
Climate change is real; its death and destruction is upon us, and it is projected to get much worse if far more aggressive national and international efforts to reverse it are not soon enacted. Those who deny climate change and its accompanying global warming – from certain high government officials to countless ordinary users of Read more
Wars have always caused needless suffering, destruction and death. But 75 years ago, the hell of war reached a new all-time immoral low when on August 6, 1945 a United States Boeing B-29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima instantly killing over 70,000 – mostly civilian – children, women and Read more
In the Gospel of Matthew, there is a scene where the Pharisees and Sadducees, in their desire to test Jesus, ask him to show them a sign. In reply to them, Jesus says that in the morning when the sky is red and threatening you say that today it will be stormy. “You know how Read more
Last year I was knocked to the ground and pinned down by an assailant who held his hand over my mouth. I cried out, “I can’t breathe!” About 30 long seconds later he finally let me go. As I reflect on the heartbreaking deadly scene of a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee into George Read more