The bishops and others advocated for a “circle of protection” around poverty programs.

As fighting continued in Juba, the capital city of South Sudan, and spread to other Sudanese cities, Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian leaders urged reconciliation and offered to serve as mediators in the conflict. Thousands have fled to the presumed safety of U.N. compounds after street fighting

Fighting in the Middle East creates openings for extremist and threatens tolerance of Christians.

Workers around the country stepped away from their jobs at fast-food restaurants and other low-wage sites on Dec. 4 in protests demanding improved wages. Workers and supporters say their wages are too low to support their families and that many as a result are forced to rely on government assistance

Group will advise pope on ways to prevent abuse and provide pastoral care.

As South Africans prepared for the memorial service for Nelson Mandela on Dec. 10, tributes from around the world poured in, acclaiming a man who steered South Africa away from certain conflict and through a slow, sometimes painful process of reconciliation—one that is in many ways ongoing.Des