On a rainy Rome evening, two Lents ago, a solitary elderly man in white, climbed the numerous steps leading to the front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Upon reaching the top, he turned to face an empty St. Peter’s Square to preside over a prayer service asking for God’s guidance, strength, and protection in the face […]
In the days leading up to President Putin’s decision to order invading Russian troops into Ukraine, Pope Francis, in an apparent effort to jolt the conscience of the Russian leader, as well as the consciences of all of us, made this appeal: “Let us not forget: war is madness.” He lamented, “Those who wage war […]
As I write, war between Russia and Ukraine is dangerously close. I hope and pray that as you read this, war has not become a reality. War between Russia and Ukraine will be a total disaster. Many mostly young combatants on all sides will lie dead. Countless innocent children, women and elderly will have their […]
In Afghanistan, “hunger is rising and children are dying,” said David Beasley, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program. “We can’t feed people on promises – funding commitments must turn into hard cash, and the international community must come together to address this crisis, which is fast spinning out of control.” Beasley’s quote appeared […]
As I write, it is the U.S. holiday commemorating the great civil and human rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. On the evening of April 4, 1968, after preaching and being present in solidarity with poorly paid African American sanitation workers, King, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, […]
Fifty-five years ago, on Jan. 1, 1967, with the Vietnam War raging, and numerous other armed conflicts causing untold death and destruction, Pope Paul VI initiated the first World Day of Peace. He wrote, “We address ourself to all men of good will to exhort them to celebrate “The Day of Peace” throughout the world, […]
The powerful temptation to build earthly kingdoms has been a painful thorn lodged deep within the human psyche from ancient times to the present day. Kingdoms from Babylon to Persia, from Greece to Rome, from Ottoman Turkey to Great Britain, have come and gone. And the days of the modern kingdoms of the U.S., Russia […]
As the first Christmas of World War I approached, Pope Benedict XV on Dec. 7, 1914, asked the leaders of all warring governments to agree to an official ceasefire. He begged “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.” Sadly, his plea was ignored by government leaders. But remarkably, […]
During the U.S.-led coalition’s 20-year devastating war in Afghanistan against the Taliban, the poverty-stricken people of that nation suffered the brutalities of war that most of us can only barely begin to imagine. And the recent end of that war, has not ended the suffering. According to Brown University’s “Cost of War” project (see: https://bit.ly/3CEW5Pp), […]
As climate change rages along its disastrous path of increasing and more intense natural disasters – hurting the poor most of all – it now appears that a majority of people are finally beginning to admit climate change is for real – and that pollution from humans burning oil, gas and coal is the main […]
