United Nations

VATICAN CITY -- Resolving the global crises of world hunger and malnutrition demands a shift away from a distorted approach to food and toward healthier lifestyles and just economic practices, Pope Francis said.

Thousands of first-time voters — including many young people born in this century — will head to the polls in the Oct. 21 federal election, along with millennials who make up Canada’s biggest voting bloc.

A few weeks ago, the Globe and Mail ran an article about the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s ongoing debate on whether or not to include the terms “gender identity, gender expression, marital status and family status” in its Code of Conduct. Prior to that, I had attended a meeting purely out of curiosity at the Catholic Education Centre in Toronto at which this matter was discussed, so I wasn’t surprised to see a secular newspaper pick up on the issue. 

OTTAWA -- As potential federal election candidates who hold pro-life views on abortion are squeezed out by some federal political parties, pro-life candidates are getting support from a surprising source.

VATICAN CITY -- The Synod of Bishops for the Amazon is not a "referendum" on priestly celibacy; it is looking for ways to provide for the sacramental life and formation of the people there, U.S. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston said.

VATICAN CITY -- Proposals at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon for indigenous- or Amazonian-rite ceremonies are meant to enhance and enrich the liturgy with cultural signs and gestures, not change what is essential for Catholics, a bishop said.

VATICAN CITY -- God wants everyone to be saved, which is why those who evangelize must avoid letting their prejudices get in the way of God's plan, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Jesus enjoys unmasking hypocrisy, which is the work of the devil, Pope Francis said.

AMMAN, Jordan -- Church bells have been ringing in Qamishli and elsewhere in northeastern Syria, signaling the alarm to Christians and others of the ongoing Turkish military operation that is having a devastating humanitarian impact on civilians.

ROME -- The patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church pleaded for "immediate and lasting peace in northeastern Syria and the preservation of innocent lives, especially for Christians, who are the original and founding component of Syria."