peace

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died Dec. 26, made his clerical career in the Anglican Church, but at one point, he is said to have contemplated the Catholic priesthood. Instead, he got married in a Catholic Church.

Meeting Dec. 3 with Archbishop Chrysostomos II, head of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, the pope heard a long litany of the offenses and atrocities Orthodox and other Christians of northern Cyprus have suffered at the hands of Turkish Cypriots and the Turkey military since the island nation was divided in 1974.

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“We can walk away, stop the flow of angry or insistent rhetoric, turn the ringer of the phone off or, at least, not take random robocalls personally. We can be nurturers of the quiet we so dearly want.”

Slovakia’s tradition of hospitality along with its witness of faith amid persecution must be at the forefront of government policies and the Catholic Church’s engagement with the faithful, Pope Francis said.

“The fall of Afghanistan and the departure of its elected leaders are a cause for concern, because of the possible denial of human rights, particularly for women and girls,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio.

Ethiopian bishops are expressing a desire for peace, healing and reconciliation across the country, especially in Tigray following a yearlong war.

Religious freedom advocates released a charter declaring the right of every person around the world to freely believe — or not believe — religious tenets and join with others in a religious community and for believers and religious communities to live peacefully in society.