Something developed countries take for granted—electricity—could go a long way to stem violence often attributed to religion, said Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, Nigeria, in the country’s northwest. Only major cities, like state capitals, have reliable electricity, the bish

Pope Francis, accepting a prize for promoting European unity, on May 6 bemoaned that the continent’s people “are tempted to yield to our own selfish interests and to consider putting up fences.”“I dream of a Europe where being a migrant is not a crime but a summons to a

Daniel J. Berrigan, S.J., was remembered during his funeral Mass as a “fierce, mischievous visionary,” a “Beatnik Jesuit friend,” a priest who “taught the sacrament of resistance” and a loving uncle ruled by faith, not fear. More than 800 people packed the Church

As wildfires continue to blaze in northern Alberta, churches of all denominations across Canada have been offering prayers and helping relief efforts. More than 100,000 residents of Fort McMurray have fled the inferno—most have lost their homes completely. Bishop Paul Terrio, bishop of St. Pau

In a continuing effort to protect children, much of the attention of the Catholic Church has been on how dioceses and national bishops’ conferences have been responding to victims and protecting children. Religious orders and congregations are sometimes left out of that picture, even though mo

One day after Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile Richards, spoke at Georgetown University, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington celebrated a University Mass for Life for college students at a nearby Catholic church, encouraging them to stand up for God’s gift of human life. A Georg

Pope Francis surprised a group of teenagers on April 23 in St. Peter’s Square, telling them that happiness is not a downloadable app and then hearing the confessions of 16 teens as he joined 150 other priests offering the sacrament of reconciliation. • Bishop Ägidius Zsifkovics of Austri

A canonical inquiry into the life of Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, will begin soon and extend to the end of the year, according to the Archdiocese of New York, which is sponsoring her sainthood cause. The names of 256 people had been submitted as potential eyewitnesses to

Jesuit Refugee Service has a very specific answer to Pope Francis’ call to put mercy on the leading edge of a church reaching out to the peripheries. The answer is education.With a campaign called “Mercy in Motion,” J.R.S. is trying to raise $35 million this year so that by 2020 it

When ISIS extremists rolled across Iraq’s Nineveh Plain in 2014, tens of thousands of Christians fled to Kurdish-controlled areas of Iraq. They still wait in limbo in crowded camps. Their only certainty is that whatever happens to them, a group of Dominican nuns will be at their side. “W