While outright war conditions pertain in Gaza and along its border in southern Israel, in the north, in Jerusalem and the West Bank, conditions are also fraught. Violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers has broken out sporadically.

"The operation launched from Gaza and the reaction of the Israeli Army are bringing us back to the worst period of our recent history," the patriarchate, led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said in a statement.

There is a deeper problem than the chaos in the U.S. House: the question of what a government is for, and how it is to function beyond matters that a bare majority can vote through.

It just got harder for foreign priests to stay in the U.S.

Advocacy groups, including the U.S. bishops conference, have cautioned against allowing a government shutdown before the deadline on Sept. 30, urging lawmakers to come to an agreement and keep the government open.

To this day, my best friends are people I grew up with on Staten Island. But I am ashamed of how some members of my community have reacted to the recent arrival of migrants.