After a boat carrying refugees was allegedly denied entry into Trinidad and Tobago and subsequently shipwrecked, Venezuelan bishops said the treatment of migrants fleeing the country constitutes a serious human rights violation.
After shipwreck, bishops denounce treatment of Venezuelan refugees
Pope’s pandemic year in review: Prayer, online meetings, hopes for change
Lockdowns, livestreamed Masses, video messages and even something akin to Zoom meetings became a regular part of Pope Francis’ 2020, just like for millions of people around the world.
Vatican aims for eco-friendly, on-demand publishing with new press
After more than 400 years of printing for popes, the Vatican typography shop has acquired a digital press to help reduce production waste, be more energy efficient and allow for on-demand publishing to avoid print overruns.
Doctrine committee sets standards for evaluating, improving church hymns
The U.S. bishops’ doctrine committee, in a forthcoming report, suggests guidelines for bishops in evaluating hymn lyrics and for selecting hymnals being considered for use in churches.
Extreme heat, wildfires, storms marked advance of climate change in 2020
Extreme global temperatures, wildfires and hurricanes continued to plague the planet during 2020, prompting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appeal to the world to end its “war on nature.”
Pre-Christmas celebration gives hope to Iraqi refugees still in Lebanon
Iraqi Syriac Catholic refugee families are among the more than 100,000 Christians driven out from Iraq’s Ninevah Plain by the Islamic State in the summer of 2014.
Bishops: Getting COVID-19 vaccine is ‘act of charity,’ supports the common good
The “gravity” of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and “the lack of availability of alternative vaccines,” are “sufficiently serious” reasons to accept the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the chairmen of the U.S. bishops’ doctrine and pro-life committees said Dec. 14.
Pope says Vatican City will aim for net-zero carbon emissions
Pope Francis pledged Vatican City State would achieve net-zero carbon emissions before the year 2050, and he urged everyone in the world to be part of a new culture of care for others and the planet.