“We believe that interfaith strategies can help solve many of the world’s biggest problems,” Miguel H. Diaz, U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.

“Policies promoting disarmament and arms control reflect an idea of order which the people of the world desire,” said Archbishop Francis Chullikatt.

“The rationale for our initiative has been severely distorted by some special-interest groups,” Kevin Cook said.

Giving to the 400 largest charities in the United States was down 11 percent overall in 2009.

The agency has been assigned the task of combating the “de- Christianization” of countries that were first evangelized centuries ago.

The Hong Kong Catholic Justice and Peace Commission is campaigning for the release of the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.