This is only the latest wave of Syrian refugees and internally displaced people from Iraq to seek safety in Iraqi-Kurdistan, which already hosts 38 camps. So far 12,000 Syrian civilians have taken refuge across the border.

The convent lost power and generators were put into place as backup. A fire department captain told local media that the sisters, some of whom were on oxygen, were scared but in good spirits. “We joked with them a little bit.... They are a great bunch of ladies.”

As tensions rise again with the approach of a Nov. 12 deadline for the creation of a unity government, Bishop Kussala has a message for the conflict-weary people of South Sudan. “The church is here to stay,” he said. “We serve the people; we don’t run away.”

If solidarity extends only as far as national or cultural borders, refugees will not receive the support they need.

Pope Francis said, “We must come to realize that what we are accumulating and wasting is the bread of the poor.”

Untreated chronic illnesses, wounds and stress-related complications are some of the medical issues Abaco Islands residents are still facing in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, according to a Catholic Charities-sponsored medical team leader who recently visited the region.