UNITED NATIONS – Religious leaders have a grave and urgent responsibility to act against genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and other violence committed in the name of religion, said speakers at a United Nations panel Sept. 20.

PHILADELPHIA – A shooting rampage late Sept. 16 that left a West Philadelphia resident and the shooter dead, plus two police officers and three civilians wounded, drew a strong response from Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.

WASHINGTON – With the haunting lyrics of a song that refers to a lynching sung in the background, a group of African-American Catholics in Los Angeles gathered in mid-August to meditate on the fatal shootings of unarmed black men and boys, linking their suffering to the persecution and crucifixion of Jesus.

MILWAUKEE – Violence stems from a breakdown in communication, Fr. Bob Stiefvater told more than 450 people gathered at All Saints Church in Milwaukee for a Mass of peace Aug. 18.

MANILA, Philippines – Catholic and Protestant bishops in the Philippines have called for a "deeper analysis" of the spate of killings in the country that have been linked to the government's anti-narcotics campaign.

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM KRAKOW, Poland – An economy that focuses on the God of money, not human beings, is the foundation of terrorism, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY – The murder of a priest in northern France, taken hostage with a handful of other faithful during a weekday morning Mass July 26, is another act of "absurd violence" added to too many stories of senseless violence and death, said the Vatican spokesman.

In the wake of a string of racially tinged shootings, majority white churches — even those quiet in past years about racial prejudice — have begun to find their voices.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – War rhetoric from South African political leaders could incite election violence and civil war, a South African bishop warned.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Zambians are shocked and ashamed of the xenophobic violence in the capital, Lusaka, in which mostly Rwandans' homes and shops were ransacked, a Church official said.

A serious breakdown between the powerful Roman Catholic Church and the government in Burundi is raising concerns over stability in the East African nation, as senior government officials accuse the Church of sponsoring violence.

It is often difficult to see Jesus’ light permeate through all human beings. This is especially true when we look at the horrific cruelty and violent terrorism around the world, especially in the Middle East. 

Canadian law permits abortion at any time for any reason during a pregnancy. Despite the Supreme Court’s position that Parliament is entitled to legislate some protections for pre-born children, what has developed instead is de facto government endorsement of an absolute right to choose.

OTTAWA - A Saskatchewan MP has tabled a bill in the House of Commons aimed at deterring “senseless assaults” on pregnant women in Canada.

TORONTO - Violence is often understood as the use of force or power against another person, but Fr. Robert Holmes also sees the mistreatment of Canada’s natural resources as a form of violence.