A representative of Caritas Internationalis urged participants at the World Economic Forum not to neglect "the old, chronic problems of the world.”

While the members say they understand the threats posed to Israel by Hamas, they argue against the "de facto collective punishment" of the Palestinian residents of Gaza.

"As a theologian and apologist, the archbishop has heightened readers’ receptivity to transcendence and opened their minds to revelation,” Father Drew Christiansen said.

After a year of public clashes between bishops and some Catholic colleges, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick urged university presidents to forge stronger relationships with their local bishops.

Cardinal Claudio Hummes said instances of abuse by priests are “criminal facts that the church can never tolerate in any way."

Malaysian Catholic bishops called the escalation of violence against Christian churches in their country “worrisome and delicate.”