News Briefs

Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., who served from 1983 to 2008 as the 29th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, died in Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 26, just four days shy of his 88th birthday. • In a report released on Nov. 30, Caritas Europa charged that austerity policies have left 120 million people in Europe “living in or at risk of poverty...a clear indication that current social protection systems are not keeping their promise.” • Colombia’s Congress ratified a revised peace agreement with FARC rebels on Nov. 30, the apparent epilogue to four years of negotiations, a stunning referendum-rejection and last-minute compromises. • Pax Christi International called for a new peace process between Israelis and Palestinians and a return to a dialogue “rooted in mutual respect for human rights and the dignity of the other” in a statement released on Dec. 1. • After the deaths of more than 9,100 Haitians, outgoing U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon apologized on Dec. 1 for the United Nations’ role in the spread of cholera in Haiti, but stopped short of admitting that U.N. peacekeepers brought the disease to the country in 2010.