“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.

Almost 44 million Americans now live below the poverty line, and 21 percent of all U.S. children are growing up poor.