SAO PAULO – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree in mid-January making it easier for Brazilians to purchase firearms. The decision sparked criticism from several groups in Brazilian society, including some in the Catholic Church.

WASHINGTON – In the first 181 days of 2016, there have been 163 mass shootings in the United States, data gathered by the Washington-based nonprofit Gun Violence Archive show.

TORONTO - Toronto politicians aiming to eliminate handguns and ban ammunition have Church teaching on their side, says one Toronto councillor with a PhD in theology.

“We’re not a pacifist Church. We have been the Church that has argued for a just war position,” said Joe Mihevc.

But that doesn’t put the magisterium on the side of private gun owners, according to Mihevc.