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.

Authorities raised their estimates of the number of dead to 200,000, and more than 1.5 million are now homeless.

The designation will continue for the next 18 months, and people may apply immediately.

The massive amount of aid pouring into the country is dwarfed by the overwhelming needs of people who lost their homes, families, jobs and possessions.

A pastoral letter said major sporting events often see "systems put in place to satisfy the demand for paid sex."

The bishops urged both Palestinians and Israelis to support public officials who “take courageous initiatives for a just resolution of the conflict."