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July 6, 2020

Pope Francis backs U.N. resolution calling for global cease-fire

Pope Francis greets the crowd as he leads the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in this file photo. On July 5, 2020, the pope backed a U.N. resolution calling for a global cease-fire.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis praised the United Nations' adoption of a global cease-fire resolution amid the coronavirus pandemic that has swept the world.

Published in Reflections
March 30, 2020

Pope Francis joins U.N. call for immediate global cease-fire

Standing in the window of the library of the Apostolic Palace overlooking an empty St. Peter's Square, March 29, 2020, Pope Francis blesses the city of Rome, still under lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

VATICAN CITY -- Saying conflicts can never be resolved with war, Pope Francis added his support to a U.N. appeal for a global cease-fire amid the worldwide threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published in Reflections
March 5, 2020

UN report on gender equality attacks religious freedom, says official

A sign indicating a unisex bathroom is seen in 2016 in North Carolina.

GENEVA -- A United Nations report addressing gender-based violence and discrimination connected to religious beliefs "is now attacking the very reality it is called to defend," a Vatican representative told a U.N. meeting in Geneva.

Published in International
December 20, 2019

Pope Francis records video of Christmas wishes with U.N. chief

Pope Francis shares a light moment with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a private audience at the Vatican Dec. 20, 2019.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis and the secretary-general of the United Nations said that, like millions of people around the world, during the Christmas season their thoughts turn to yearnings for peace and for the well-being of those in need.

Published in Vatican
October 29, 2019

Vatican's U.N. rep pushes for world action to eliminate nuclear weapons

A Dongfeng-41 intercontinental strategic nuclear missiles group formation is seen Oct. 1, 2019, during the 70th anniversary celebration of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing. Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations, called on global leaders to work to rid the world of nuclear weapons in a series of addresses in October.

UNITED NATIONS -- Expressing concern that arms control treaties are "abrogated and flouted," the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations called on global leaders to work to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Published in International
October 1, 2019

Vatican representative at U.N. named nuncio to Spain

Pope Francis named Archbishop Bernardito Auza, who has represented the Vatican at the United Nations since 2014, to be nuncio to Spain and Andorra. Archbishop Auza is pictured in a June 16, 2018, photo.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis named Archbishop Bernardito Auza, who has represented the Vatican at the United Nations since 2014, to be nuncio to Spain and Andorra.

Published in Vatican
August 20, 2019

Church in Congo urges for aid from multinationals

In this Aug. 16, 2016, file photo, an artisanal miner carries raw ore near Kolwezi, Congo. A representative of the Catholic bishops of Congo have called on multinational corporations working in the mineral-rich country to contribute toward local development.

KINSHASA, Congo -- Foreign companies working in mineral-rich Congo ought to contribute part of their profits to local development programs, said an official of the country's Catholic bishops' conference.

Published in International
June 26, 2019

'Robust' religious freedom, education seen as key to countering attacks

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations, is pictured speaking at the U.N headquarters in New York City Oct. 2, 2018. In an address at the U.N. June 24, 2019, Archbishop Auza called for fostering tolerance and inclusivity to counter terrorism and "other acts of violence based on religion or belief."

UNITED NATIONS -- Many terrorist attacks and other violence against houses of worship, religious sites and faith communities around the world "are finally receiving the attention, condemnation and committed response they deserve," Archbishop Bernardito Auza said June 24 at the United Nations.

Published in International
June 21, 2019

UN Day marks victory for religious freedom

UN Day marks victory for religious freedom

OTTAWA -- Getting the United Nations and the European Union to acknowledge the persecution of Christians is an ongoing challenge, but there are signs of progress, says Marcela Szymanski, a lobbyist for Aid to the Church in Need.

Published in International
June 4, 2019

U.N. declares special day to remember victims of violence against religion

U.N. declares special day to remember victims of violence against religion

WASHINGTON -- On May 28, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing Aug. 22 as the Day to Commemorate Victims of Violence Based on Religion.

Published in International
May 29, 2019

Global mission begins on a global stage at UN

Genevieve Pinnington spent six months as a youth representative at the UN.

Genevieve Pinnington is on a mission to spread the good news of global citizenship. 

After six months working at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, the 22-year-old returned to Toronto with a passion to engage others in world issues — not to mention a personal sense of appreciation for the greener spaces of home.

Published in Canada
March 28, 2019

Autonomous weapons systems threaten peace, says Vatican official

Activists from the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations opposing lethal autonomous weapons, protest at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin March, 21, 2019.

VATICAN CITY - The growing use of autonomous weapons systems poses serious risks to global peace and stability, a Vatican representative told a U.N. meeting in Geneva.

Published in Vatican
March 21, 2019

Panel: Empowering women must not come at the cost of femininity, human dignity

Anne Kioko, the founder and director of the African Organization for the Family, speaks at the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
UNITED NATIONS – Women should not be required to divest themselves of femininity to achieve empowerment and gender equality, according to panelists at a March 19 event at the United Nations.
Published in International
March 8, 2019

Health and climate change depend on the way food is produced, cooked, Vatican speakers say

A farmer in Ryugasaki, Japan, transplants rice June 26, 2017. Speakers at a Vatican conference on sustainable development said the food people choose at the supermarket and cook in their kitchens can make a huge difference in helping address the global problems of hunger, obesity and climate change.
VATICAN – The food people pick at the supermarket and cook in their kitchens can make a huge difference in helping address the global problems of hunger, obesity and climate change, a number of speakers said at a Vatican conference on sustainable development.
Published in International
March 5, 2019

Church works as bridge between Muslims, Christians, Nigerian archbishop says

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, Nigeria, speaks during a forum addressing international religious freedom issues at the United Nations March 1, 2019. The event was co-sponsored by the Vatican's Permanent Observer Mission to the U.N. and the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
NEW YORK – The Catholic Church is working to bridge the divide between Muslims and Christians in a country where the divide between the groups is fraught with large and small issues, said a Nigerian archbishop.
Published in International
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