Opinion

MEXICO CITY — Guatemala’s bishops criticized the idea of the country entering into an agreement with the U.S. government to deem it a “safe third country” for asylum-seekers. The country’s constitutional court stopped President Jimmy Morales from declaring Guatemala a “safe third country” with a July 14 decision. Signing such ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the national government seemingly unable to function in most of the Central African Republic, Bishop Nestor-Desire Nongo-Aziagbia of Bossangoa has negotiated peace settlements with two armed groups operating in his diocese. It may seem highly irregular, but for a population that has seen growing displacement, poverty, ... read more

ACCRA, Ghana — A Ghanaian archbishop called on Christians to be modest in the celebration of weddings, noting that pressure on young people to have expensive weddings is partly to blame for couples living together without marrying. Noting that divorce causes great pain to families, Archbishop Philip Naameh of Tamale, ... read more

VATICAN CITY — After current supplies run out, Vatican City State will no longer be selling any single-use plastic items on its tiny territory. While the European Union pledged in May to ban single-use plastic starting in 2021, the Vatican had already begun limiting its use and soon “it will ... read more

WINDSOR, Ontario — Detroiters might soon notice a bronze glow on the horizon as they stare south across the Detroit River. Across the river from historic Ste. Anne de Detroit in southwest Detroit stands her sister parish: Our Lady of the Assumption in Windsor. The two historic French-established parishes stand ... read more

NAIROBI, Kenya — The Congo River basin, which spans six African countries, is coming under pressure, partly due to clearing of the forests for subsistence agriculture, large-scale farming, illegal logging and lack of clear reforestation policies. Even as the Catholic churches in the basin stress the need to care for ... read more

WARWICK, Rhode Island — A Rhode Island priest facing drunken driving charges has been placed on administrative leave by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. The diocese in a statement Monday said Father Jacek Ploch “is not permitted to minister as a priest” while on leave. The 38-year-old Ploch was ... read more

NEW YORK — Government restrictions on religion have increased markedly in many places around the world, not only in authoritarian countries, but also in many of Europe’s democracies, according to a report surveying 198 countries that was released Monday. The report released by the Pew Research Center, covering developments through ... read more

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon –  The headquarters of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) in Nairobi Kenya has been the host of the July 15-16 International Conference on the “Laudato Si’ Generation: Young people caring for our common home.” Ahead of the event, Crux spoke with Allen Ottaro, the founder and executive ... read more

ROME – With global religious persecution increasingly thrust into the international spotlight, members of several Christian communities suffering violence and discrimination have said promises are no longer enough, but action is needed from political leaders. Typically seen as a political non-priority, religious persecution, and anti-Christian persecution in particular, has been ... read more

Ranked among the top must see destinations in the world, the Vatican Museums attracts thousands of tourists every day who are willing to shuffle though its jam-packed corridors, elbow their way through the mob and endure the crowd-generated heat to get a glimpse of its artistic treasures. The overcrowding of ... read more

NEW YORK — On July 17, Southern California’s famed Crystal Cathedral will be dedicated as Christ Cathedral, the new seat of the Diocese of Orange. Once the home of evangelical pastor Robert Schuller of the Reformed Church in America and his famed “Hour of Power,” the building, which is made ... read more

DOHUK, Iraq — Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Cardinal Louis Sako is concerned by rising tensions between the United States and Iran, fearful that his country, Iraq, could be caught in the middle of any potential conflict. It has also made a proposed visit by Pope Francis to Iraq next year uncertain, ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — One hot August night in 2005, Melanie Rigney found solace standing awkwardly in the cool vestibule of St. Charles Borromeo Church, the first church she had entered during the 20 years that saw her married, divorced, bankrupt and uprooted from her hometown in Nebraska and relocated to ... read more

WARWICK, Rhode Island — A Catholic priest is facing a drunken driving charge after police say he struck and injured a pedestrian. Police say 38-year-old Father Jacek Ploch struck the pedestrian crossing a Warwick street at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The victim was taken to the hospital with what police ... read more