“The people of the South are beating day and night the drum of secession, independence,” said Bishop Paride Taban, retired bishop of Torit.

“Few of the suburban communities have a social services infrastructure in place to address the challenges this increased poverty poses.”

Some bishops suggested that structural reforms would be required to preserve the identity and authority of the 22 Eastern churches.

What the unity of the North American Orthodox and Catholic Churches might look like

In Latin America, women hold only one-third of top-level jobs.

The U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Miguel H. Díaz, said on Oct. 5 that human migration should be accepted as both a Christian and a political duty.