"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

Michael B. Sheedy, executive director of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops in Tallahassee, said the conference was "pleased this decision was issued so promptly" on what was the first day of Florida's 2016 legislative session. "This should compel the Legislature to address the issue immediately," he said.

"It is absurd to force a pharmacy to sell drugs against their conscience when there are over 30 pharmacies within five miles that already sell the exact same drugs," said a Jan. 4 statement by  Luke Goodrich, deputy general counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the pharmacists. "This law does nothing but punish people of faith."

"Our society is increasingly aware of the flaws in the application of the death penalty, which is inconsistent, arbitrary and too often applied in error," wrote Michael Sheedy, executive director of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"The agreement, consisting of a preamble and 32 articles, regards essential aspects of the life and activity of the Church in Palestine, while at the same time reaffirming the support for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the conflict in the region," the Vatican said in a statement Jan. 2.

Parishes in areas of the St. Louis Archdiocese affected by flooding responded to people in need and made plans for a coordinated community response. "Keep us in your prayers," said Pam Manuel, parish secretary at St. Bridget of Kildare Parish in Pacific, 35 miles southwest of St. Louis.

Refugees making their way toward Europe and the United States are seeking a better, safer life, refugee advocates said. At the same time, many politicians and citizens have begun debating the country's moral and political responsibility when it comes to assisting those in need and defending the country's borders.