The German church's special representative for refugees said he believed a cap would violate the Geneva Convention and Germany's Basic Law. "Christians cannot allow people who've faced untold suffering and are needing help to encounter closed borders," Archbishop Stefan Hesse of Hamburg said.

"Archbishop Nienstedt has a deep concern for the church, and in light of the unintended discord that his presence was causing, he decided that this would be the best course of action so the church can remain focused on its mission."

For the hundreds of South Sudanese refugee children settled into a Ugandan camp, learning how to react without violence is as much a part of their schoolwork as academic pursuits.The refugee families, who have fled two years of ethnic fighting in newly independent South Sudan, value the material the

Because of a predicted snowstorm in Washington, the St. Louis archdiocesan Catholic Youth Apostolate canceled its Generation Life pilgrimage to the March for Life.About 2,200 teens, adult chaperones, volunteers and staff were expected to participate in the 43rd annual march Jan. 22.The youth apostol

At a Jesuit-sponsored Mass, students heard that "Our efforts are to be able to create the same amount of space for people to change their hearts."

"In spite of the borders and boundaries that exist, we see ourselves as one great Catholic community, and we are immensely grateful and honored that our universal pastor, Pope Francis, has chosen to come to our area," Bishop Seitz said in a Jan. 18 statement. "We celebrate this great day for our brothers and sisters in Juarez."

"It's not about service, we should be out on the streets protesting," Rev. Cean James, founding pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship Church in Philadelphia, said. "Given the lack of change in society since the death of Dr. King, a true revolution of values is needed. It should be a day of protest against injustice. We have been silent for a long time."

"No child should be told that there is no room for them. The womb should not be the child's tomb," Archbishop Cupich told the crowd. "We just celebrated Christmas, the season that features the birth of a child, a season of new life and new beginning. A child, like no one else, creates and fosters hope in our world."

"Puerto Rico's debt comes from a combination of mismanagement, bad luck and its unique colonial status as neither a sovereign country nor a U.S. state," wrote Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan.

Catholic advocacy agencies quickly joined the pushback after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the beginning of the year arrested immigrants, all Central American families, who were in the United States illegally.After a series of meetings with Homeland Security officials Jan. 11, Senate