When fast-food workers across the country walked off their jobs demanding higher wages on Dec. 5, their actions should have caught the attention of the nation's Catholics, say those who stress that the call for a living wage echoes long-standing Catholic social teaching.Christine Firer Hinze, th

Pope Francis asked God to "console and strengthen all who mourn (Mandela's) loss."

"To him, people mattered because of who they were, not the position they held."

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston announced the decision at a Vatican briefing for reporters on Dec. 5.

The tense conditions have left people barricaded in their homes in the capital, Bangui.

Pope Francis is "a prophet who sees the world as it is and has the courage to say so."