Outside the White House on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, members of the Catholic Worker demonstrated for repentance and conversion of “ourselves, our society and our churches to the Gospel way of justice."

Thousands of children are forced every day to serve in armed gangs or armies as combatants, spies or in sexual servitude.

“Dear friends of the United States, Mexico needs your help to stop this terrible violence that we’re suffering,” President Felipe Calderón said.

Famine and state-building in Somalia is a top priority for the new Caritas Internationalis secretary general, Michel Roy.

The city of Homs has now endured almost four weeks of Syrian army attacks with artillery and heavy weapons.

María del Mar Muñoz-Visoso was named executive director of the Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church.