The Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo, Boutros Marayati, says the air raids against jihadi bases in Syria, carried out by the United States with the support of some Arab countries, are not being welcomed by the local population. They don’t see the bomber as liberators People are afraid “that this type of external involvement could worsen the situation” he said. Continue reading Syria: Bishop says US air raids ‘could worsen the situation’
Catholic News Service
By Dennis Sadowski
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Expanded airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Syria serve as little more than a recruiting tool for the extremist group and place more innocent people in danger, the leadership of Pax Christi International said.
The three top leaders of the Catholic peace organization also called upon the world, particularly the United Nations, to work together to seek nonviolent alternatives to stop the Islamic State’s expansion and influence in Iraq and Syria.
Continue reading Pax Christi leaders alarmed that airstrikes will aid ISIS recruiting
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
A central cause of the recent dramatic increase in the number of unaccompanied children immigrating into the U.S. through its border with Mexico is the high level of crime and violence in the principal “sending countries” – Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador (collectively referred to as the Northern Triangle) and Mexico (see related article here). Yet neighboring Nicaragua, with the lowest per capita GDP in the region, has been able to maintain markedly lower levels of violence. While the specific history of Nicaragua has much to do with the lack of violence, its police system, dubbed “a new security paradigm” by some, could offer ways forward for its more violent neighbors. Continue reading Where are Nicaraguan children?
Maiduguri, Nigeria, September 18, 2014 / 12:10 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri has denounced the militant Islamist group Boko Haram for the murders of more than 2,500 faithful in his Nigerian diocese.
Bishop Doeme is currently taking refuge in the Nigerian state of Adamawa, together with thousands of faithful, Fides news agency reports. The bishop denounced Boko Haram in an interview with the newspaper ThisDay. Continue reading Nigerian bishop says Boko Haram murdered 2,500 in his diocese
The federal government needs to cut military spending to free up the money needed to meet the climate challenge.
By Ellen Powell
With the Islamic State’s rise, Libya’s slide back into civil war, and the conflict brewing between Ukraine and Russia, there’s plenty to fear these days.
Maybe you’ve always believed you could count on the U.S. military to protect you from dangers like those, and that makes you feel safe. Continue reading Making Windmills out of Warplanes
Christian N Ndoki, SJ
In Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the paradox of water abundance and scarcity is felt by this city of 10 million inhabitants along the Congo River.
I was visiting a young friend whose leg was amputated after a serious accident. While I was trying to comfort him, her mother told me that they were more worried about water than anything else: for four days, they have had no water. I was shocked. How was it possible that in a university clinic of a large capital city of a great country in the heart of Africa there is no drinking water, no water at all? Continue reading Paradox of abundance and scarcity of water in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Climate change summit: world leaders told to ‘step up ambition’
US refuses to commit to climate change aid for poor nations
The widow of Nelson Mandela punctured the self-congratulatory mood of the UN summit on Tuesday, saying world leaders had failed to rise to the challenge of climate change. Continue reading Nelson Mandela’s widow Graça Machel says leaders failed to rise to challenge after day of impassioned speeches at UN
Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe: “Three and a half years have passed since the nuclear accident, but self-examination has yet to be made.”
Lauren McCauley, staff writer
“Don’t forget Fukushima” was the message Tuesday morning as roughly 16,000 people gathered in downtown Tokyo to protest the restart of Japan’s nuclear power plants.
The demonstration, held outside the official residence of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, came a day after the government outlined plans to restart two reactors at the Sendai nuclear plant in southern Japan at a five-day meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Jiji News reports. Continue reading ‘Remember Fukushima’: Thousands Rally Against Nuclear Restart in Japan
