Condemning an attack on unarmed Christians in Egypt, Pope Benedict XVI said that all its citizens and institutions must work to guarantee the rights of minorities.

In 2010, more than 1,000 priests were victims of extortion, 162 were threatened with death and two were kidnapped and killed.

France’s Catholic bishops have urged citizens to accept the fact that their country is no longer culturally homogeneous.

Commenting on elections planned for Nov. 28, the Coptic bishop of Luxor said that Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood were among the most organized political groups.

Archbishop José H. Gómez applauded the recent government announcement that prosecutorial discretion would be exercised on “low-priority” deportation cases.

Somali children are the victims most affected by the food crisis in the Horn of Africa.