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“Approximately 1 in 7 Christians [more than 365 million people] are subject to significant levels of persecution on the basis of religious beliefs. The number of attacks against Christian churches and property increased significantly in 2023, with more Christians than ever suffering violent attacks,” said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin during his Sept. 28, 2024 address to the United Nations General Assembly. / Credit: The Official CTBTO Photostream (2019 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Article XIV Conference)/ ]Wikimedia Commons

Vatican Secretary of State Decries Wars, Abortion, Gender Ideology, and Repression in UN Address

Oct 1, 2024

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin denounced “an alarming increase in the number of conflicts around the world and the gravity of their violence.”

“With reference to gender, the Holy See understands the term to be grounded in the biological sexual identity that is male or female,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin said. / Credit: Pasquale Senatore/Shutterstock

Vatican Secretary of State Calls Out United Nations for Promoting Abortion, Gender Ideology

Sep 25, 2024

In an address to the U.N. “Summit of the Future” in New York, Cardinal Pietro Parolin voiced the Vatican’s disapproval of the assembly’s promotion of abortion.

Panelists speak at the event "Towards the Abolition of Surrogacy: Preventing the Exploitation and Commodification of Women and Children,” held by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. / Credit: Permanent Mission of the Holy See

Vatican Convenes UN Panel Urging Global Abolition of Surrogacy

Jun 19, 2024

Panelists called for “increased awareness and concrete steps at the U.N. level to abolish surrogacy and uphold human dignity.”

Credit: Shutterstock

Pope Calls for an End to Global Food Waste

Sep 29, 2023

Food waste, the pope said, “shows an arrogant disregard for everything that, in social and human terms, lies behind food production.” 

The Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, which houses the meeting room of the U.N. Human Rights Council. | Groov3 via Wikimedia (CC0 1.0).

UN human Rights Council Passes Religious Hatred Resolution amid U.S., European Opposition

Jul 12, 2023

The United Nations Human Rights Council approved a controversial resolution Wednesday that urges member states to more aggressively prosecute acts of religious-based antagonism, with the motion passing even amid opposition from United States and European delegations. 

Pope Francis greets Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, whom he appointed as the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations in Geneva on June 21, 2023. | Vatican Media

Apostolic Nuncio in DR Congo Appointed Holy See Permanent Observer to UN in Geneva

Jun 21, 2023

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Apostolic Nuncio in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as the representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva.

Young people from around the world held hands in St. Peter's Square during the #NotAlone human fraternity event June 10, 2023. | Vatican Media

UN Security Council Discusses Pope Francis and Imam’s Human Fraternity Proposal

Jun 15, 2023

The U.N. Security Council convened a high-level briefing on Wednesday to discuss the role of “human fraternity” in promoting peace, inspired by the fraternity declaration co-authored by Pope Francis and a leading Sunni imam.

The United Nations General Assembly in New York. | Drop of Light/Shutterstock.

African Nations Stand Alone Against Abortion Rights, Gender Ideology at the UN

Sep 16, 2022

A United Nations resolution defining abortion as a human right and advancing gender ideology was adopted this month with overwhelming support from Western countries but was opposed by a group of mainly African nations. 

Pope Francis speaks during his weekly general audience on April 6, 2022. Vatican Media

We are Witnessing the "impotence" of the UN in Ukraine war: Pope Francis

Apr 6, 2022

The pope made the comments during a reflection on his recent trip to Malta at his weekly general audience.

Logo of the United Nations (UN). Credit: UN

Catholic Bishops in Kenya Urge Government to Support UN Treaty on Business, Human Rights

Oct 25, 2021

Catholic Bishops in Kenya are calling on the government of the East African nation to fully support the revised draft of the United Nations (UN) Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights at the ongoing negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Official Logo of CitizenGo. Credit: CitizenGo

International Catholic Entity Protests UN Women’s Campaign for Gender-Neutral Language

Sep 19, 2021

The leadership of CitizenGo, a Catholic organization spearheading family issues, has petitioned officials of The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), protesting against campaigns for gender neutrality that advocate for “scrapping the words ‘feminine’ and ‘woman’”. 

Catholic Bishops in Kenya. Credit: Courtesy Photo

Lobby Government to Participate in UN Conference: Kenya's Bishops Charge Lawmakers

Sep 12, 2021

Catholic Bishops in Kenya are urging Members of Parliament (MPs) to pressurize the government to “actively participate” in the planned United Nations (UN) Binding Treaty negotiations.

Poster for the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Credit: United Nations

Church Leaders in Zimbabwe Urge Government to Bring All Cases of Disappearance to Closure

Aug 31, 2021

On the commemoration of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, members of the Churches Converge on Conflict and Peace (CCCOP) in Zimbabwe, a consortium of church organizations working for peace, have called on their country’s government to bring all cases of missing persons to a close.  

A section of beneficiaries of Center Kër Don Bosco, an initiative of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in Senegal that aims to empower girls and women through education/ Credit: Salesian Missions

Salesians Address Inequality in West Africa, Facilitate Formal Education in Senegal, Mali

Jul 30, 2021

On the occasion of the annual World Day against Trafficking in Persons marked July 30, members of the Religious Institute of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) have highlighted their initiatives in addressing the challenge of inequality in West Africa, a factor that contributes to human trafficking.

. Steve Knutson via Unsplash.

World Hunger “a crime that violates basic human rights”: Pope Francis to UN Chief

Jul 27, 2021

The pope called for a “new mindset” in the battle against malnutrition.

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Ecosystem Degradation "a clear outcome of economic dysfunction": Pope Francis

Jun 5, 2021

Pope Francis said Friday that environmental degradation is “a clear outcome of economic dysfunction.”

World Food Program head David Beasley meets Pope Francis at the Vatican Jan. 28, 2021. Credit: Vatican Media.

Pope Francis Meets World Food Program Head as Agency Warns about Child Hunger

Jan 28, 2021

Pope Francis met on Thursday with the head of the World Food Program, as the organization issued a warning that more than 300 million children are going hungry amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Interrupted Assistance Posing Multiple Threats to Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia: Cleric

Dec 4, 2020

The “sudden interruption” of assistance to Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia amid the ongoing violent conflict in Tigray region is posing multiple threats to hundreds of thousands of Eritreans, a Catholic Cleric known for his ministry with refugees and migrants crossing from North Africa to Europe has said.

Map showing the Sahel region.

Caritas Internationalis Officials Highlight Five Lines of Action to Address Sahel Crisis

Nov 5, 2020

The leadership of the global confederation of Catholic relief agencies, Caritas Internationalis (CI), has outlined five lines of action that could help address the crisis in the Central Sahel region, which comprises the West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. 

The Single Ballot ticket for the October 31 presidential election in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast’s “pre-election situation worrying,” Cleric Says, Highlights Peace Initiatives

Oct 29, 2020

Ahead of Ivory Coast’s Presidential election scheduled for Saturday, October 31, a Cleric ministering in the West African nation says the pre-election mood is a cause for concern and highlights some initiatives Church leaders are undertaking to advocate for peace amid rising tensions.