The oil spill off the coast of Mauritius has renewed attention as to how environmental disasters affect ecological and economic life.

Former Bishop Michael Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston has written a letter of apology for "any scandal" he had caused and has made a $441,000 reimbursement to his former diocese.

The preferential option for the poor, which includes feeding the hungry and drawing close to the excluded, “is the key criterion of Christian authenticity,” Pope Francis said Aug. 19 during his weekly general audience.

The trafficking of women in Latin America has increased with the Covid-19 pandemic, according to church activists.

The decision was made after a surge in cases since classes resumed on Aug. 10.

The prize, which is $2.5 million in unrestricted funds, also "strengthens our resolve to create a community of kinship and healing in Los Angeles," Father Greg Boyle said in a statement. "All of us at Homeboy Industries are profoundly humbled by the Hilton Foundation's recognition."