IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar By Bronwen Dachs Africa’s bishops pledged to work together to ensure that the continent’s resources serve development and peace of all people. "Confronted with the anguish of our people," the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar has …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy John Bradburne Memorial Society By Simon Caldwell MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — The Vatican has allowed the bishops of Zimbabwe to open the sainthood cause of a British missionary murdered after he refused to abandon his ministry to people with Hansen’s disease during the country’s civil war. The …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Reuters By VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Days after rescue workers recovered the bodies of dozens of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, Pope Francis urged the international community to "act quickly" to prevent future tragedies. "I have learned with sorrow the news of the dramatic shipwreck that happened in …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Enrique De La Osa, Reuters By VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A proud Cuban who pressed for greater freedom for his church and for an end to the U.S. embargo on his homeland, Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino, retired archbishop of Havana, died July 26 at the age of 82. …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Marco Bello, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In the wake of the historic resignation of Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello, the people of the Caribbean island must continue to maintain their unity to overcome the social ills that led to the crisis, the Puerto …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Yuri Gripas, Reuters By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — The July 25 announcement by the Justice Department that it is reinstating the federal death penalty for the first time in 16 years was unwelcome news for Catholic leaders who have advocated against capital punishment. "The United States’ death …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Kevin J. Parks, Catholic Review By Paul McMullen BALTIMORE (CNS) — The Stations of the Cross, modified for the migrant and refugee, began July 23 at Sacred Heart of Jesus-Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in Baltimore’s Highlandtown neighborhood with a not-so-subtle lesson in welcoming the stranger. "Find someone you …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Catholic Climate Covenant By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) — Living in rural central Minnesota, JoAnn Braegelman and her neighbors in the Diocese of St. Cloud know that disrespecting the natural resources "right outside our window" would quickly make life very difficult. It’s imperative, they realize, that the soil …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Daniel Becerril, Reuters By David Agren MEXICO CITY (CNS) — Soldiers appeared recently at the diocesan migrant shelter in the northern Mexican city of Saltillo and demanded to see the identifications of its guests. Shelter director Alberto Xicotencatl raced into the street to confront the soldiers July 23, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Marco Bello, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The president of the Puerto Rican bishops’ conference said the actions of Gov. Ricardo Rossello and his administration were the final straw for residents of the U.S. commonwealth who have suffered through years of financial mismanagement, corruption …