Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

Church leaders in the Central African Republic are hoping the arrival of U.N. troops will end bloodshed in Bangui, where at least 16 people were killed on Dec. 5 after the city was attacked by supporters of former President François Bozizé. • At a hearing on capitol hill on Dec. 5, Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, urged Congress to extend jobless benefits—due to expire just after Christmas—noting that C.C.U.S.A. will continue to help out, but cannot come close to meeting all the needs of struggling U.S. families. • Flights were cancelled and schools were closed on Dec. 6 in Shanghai as record levels of air pollution shrouded the city in smog. • European officials met Ukrainian opposition leaders in the capital, Kiev, on Dec. 5 in talks seen as a snub to President Viktor Yanukovich, who triggered mass street demonstrations by refusing to sign a key European Union trade deal and seeking closer ties with neighboring Russia. • Pope Francis has requested prayers for 12 nuns and three young women taken away from their convent north of the Syrian capital of Damascus by Islamist rebels on Dec. 2.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

This special deep dive episode recaps the 2024 Vatican meeting of the Synod on Synodality, featuring interviews with five synod delegates about the tensions and unexpected breakthroughs in the Synod hall—and outside it.
Inside the VaticanJanuary 30, 2025
Syrians hold a copy of the Quran next to a Christian cross during a demonstration in support of unity among minorities and the ousting of the Bashar Assad government in Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
The rapid victory of the Sunni opposition fighters over regular army units loyal to Mr. al-Assad has left many wondering how Syria’s minority faith groups—Alawites, Christians, Shiites and others—will fare as H.T.S. consolidates its control.
Clotilde BigotJanuary 30, 2025
In order for the United States to remain “a government of laws, not of men,” all officials entrusted with elected authority must recognize the necessity and justice of constraints on their own power.
The EditorsJanuary 30, 2025
It is no secret that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops receives federal grants to assist in refugee resettlement.
Leilani FuentesJanuary 30, 2025