In an encyclical that might be characterized as ripped from the headlines, Pope Francis speaks some hard truths to Canadians, to Catholics and to the world.

The $10.5-million takeaway from the sordid affair of Omar Khadr is that all of society loses when its leaders fail to stand in vigorous defence of God-given human dignity and fundamental human rights.

I want to focus on a single word, one that is loaded with enough meaning to sway life or death decisions.

VATICAN CITY – Reflecting on the dignity of work, Pope Francis said that a society of fraternity promotes the dignity of the person and provides a solution to the “global economic dictatorship.”

WASHINGTON – In a joint statement, Catholic bishops whose dioceses are along the U.S.-Mexico border spoke of the "pain, the fear, and the anguish" they're seeing in immigrants and vowed to follow the example of the Pope in building "bridges, rather than the walls of exclusion and exploitation."

In recent years, there has been public debate about the need for dress code reforms, particularly for female workers in the restaurant industry. Workers and restaurant patrons have complained that it is unfair for female servers and staff to be forced to wear short skirts and high heels as part of the establishment’s dress code standards. This issue hinges on discrimination towards female workers, as their male counterparts often don’t have the same dress code requirements.

WASHINGTON - When Pope Francis approaches the Catholic Charities building in downtown Washington during his U.S. visit in September, he will encounter a "homeless person" covered in a blanket laying on a park bench.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis reflected on the “serious social damage” caused by unemployment and praised governments for their efforts to create jobs Aug. 19.

WASHINGTON - Readers of the Bible may recall the passage in Chapter 4 of Luke that presages the start of Jesus' public ministry, in which Jesus said, in part: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives."

WASHINGTON - The Catholic Church's strong stance against pornography is based on church teaching that the human body should be respected and every person has a God-given dignity.

LOS ANGELES - After the California Senate voted to legalize physician-assisted suicide in the state, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez called it the wrong response to a "public health crisis."

VATICAN CITY - Abortion, abandoning migrants at sea, unsafe working conditions, malnutrition, terrorism and euthanasia are all "attacks on life," said Pope Francis.

VATICAN CITY - Never let practice and competition get in the way of going to Mass, studying for school, being with friends and helping the poor, Pope Francis told an Italian sports association.

OTTAWA - As the federal government prepares to begin consultations in order to draft euthanasia and assisted suicide legislation, the archbishop of Ottawa issued a pastoral letter that called on people to support a culture of life.

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on April 28 that could wind up legalizing gay marriage nationwide, dozens of Christian leaders have issued a call to civil authorities to preserve “the unique meaning of marriage in the law” — but also to “protect the rights of those with differing views of marriage.”