SALVADOR, Brazil -- Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled their economically stricken and politically volatile country. Many have crossed over the border into Brazil and Colombia seeking a better life.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Vatican July 4, and the two discussed the ongoing wars in Eastern Ukraine and in Syria, the Vatican said. Russia plays a major role in both conflicts.

VATICAN CITY - While protests against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro raged across the country, National Guard forces loyal to the embattled head of state launched tear gas at churchgoers attending Mass at a local parish.

Each year in Kingston, we have the honour of hosting our annual St. John Fisher Dinner, a fundraiser which supports the mission of Catholic Christian Outreach at Queen’s University. We invite a distinguished speaker and have been blessed to highlight places where the Church is under persecution.

LIMA, Peru – Catholic Church leaders in Venezuela say a peaceful transfer of power from embattled President Nicolas Maduro to a transitional government, probably led by National Assembly president Juan Guaido, is the best hope for the crisis-wracked country.

CUCUTA, Colombia – Pvt. Andry Rosales hugged a Colombian soldier and broke into tears as he surrendered himself to this country's military.

SAO PAULO – Tensions were high along Venezuela's borders after clashes protesting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's decision not to allow humanitarian aid into the country for millions of vulnerable citizens.

CARACAS, Venezuela – The Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference is calling on Nicolas Maduro’s government to allow humanitarian aid to enter the country and be peacefully distributed to people who are desperately in need of it.

BOA VISTA, Brazil – As soon as she fills another suitcase with food, Margaret Infante will join other refugees who cross back and forth at the border from Brazil to Venezuela to help feed starving family members.

CUCUTA, Colombia – The bishop of a Colombian diocese bordering Venezuela has said that “we can't be still” in face of the Venezuelan people's suffering, and noted that the Church has responded to the humanitarian crisis from its beginning.

ROME – Although it has publicly taken a neutral stance in the current political crisis in Venezuela, the Vatican has expressed its support for new elections in the country within the year, said a member of a delegation representing opposition leader Juan Guaido.

CUCUTA, Colombia – Lunch started early at the Divine Providence House, a church-run soup kitchen located just a few hundred feet away from the Venezuelan border.

The $53 million Ottawa plans to spend on migrants, refugees and ordinary people suffering through economic breakdown in Venezuela could help cover an open wound of human suffering in neighbouring Brazilian towns that are hosting thousands of refugees.

MERIDA, Venezuela – The Archbishop of Merida has ruled out Vatican mediation of the Venezuelan crisis after president Nicolas Maduro made public a letter to Pope Francis requesting intervention.

PANAMA CITY – Pope Francis prayed that a peaceful solution may be found in Venezuela as uncertainty and political instability grip the country.