Nation/World

In a heartfelt letter to his homeland Sept. 30, Pope Francis told his fellow Argentines that he will not be able to visit this or next year because of obligations in Asia and Africa.

Paying honor to the steadfast faith of Orthodox Christians in Georgia, Pope Francis nevertheless urged them to draw closer to other Christians and work together to share the Gospel. Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II, who recently has been cautious in his relations with leaders of other churches, greeted Pope Francis when he arrived at the Tbilisi airport Sept. 30 and welcomed him to the patriarchal palace after the pope’s meeting with the Georgian president.

Subtly acknowledging Georgia’s ongoing territorial dispute with Russia, Pope Francis urged greater efforts to sow peace throughout the Caucasus region.

Catholics have joined a group of Christian faith leaders asking politicians to address immigration reform within 100 days of the 2017 legislative session of Congress.

In a world where so much bad news can anesthetize people or lead them to despair, the media cannot and should not ignore “good news” stories, stories which Christians see as a reflection of the greater news that God is a loving father, a Vatican office said.

The U.N. Security Council has brought new attention to a 20-year-old treaty that would ban nuclear weapons testing, but still has not gone into effect.

A group of pro-life advocates from around the country gathered Sept. 28 in front of the steps of Supreme Court of the United States to announce the start of a national bus tour to rally others to support their cause.

South Florida’s Cuban-American Catholic community and other Miami Marlins baseball fans planned to honor Jose Fernandez with prayers at the Cuban shrine and a public parade Sept. 28, a day before his private funeral.