US State Department Archives

Syrian religious sister among women honored by U.S. State Department
- Catholic News Service, Global Church
- April 1, 2017
Sister Carolin Tahhan Fachakh, a member of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, was among women who were honored by the U.S. State Department. She lives in Aleppo, Syria, and was recognized for working “tirelessly to support the needs of Syria’s most vulnerable populations, particularly internally displaced persons and children.”
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Religious freedom advocates want US to put teeth into its rhetoric
- Catholic News Agency, Global Church
- August 17, 2016
Religious freedom advocates are praising the U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom report, but also calling on the administration to put teeth into its rhetoric with steps such as targeted sanctions, visa denials, and other measures.
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US trafficking report faulted for giving offenders political pass
- Catholic News Agency, Global Church
- July 1, 2016
In presenting a new US report on human trafficking, Secretary of State John Kerry said victims are forced to endure “a living hell that no human being should ever have to experience,” yet critics charge the report is overly political in not coming down harder on nations such as China and Cuba.
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Vietnam frees dissident priest ahead of Obama visit

BANGKOK (AP) — Vietnam granted early release from prison to a Catholic priest who is one of its most prominent dissidents, a move widely seen as a goodwill gesture before President Barack Obama arrives on an official visit late Sunday night. The Catholic Archdiocese of the central city of Hue

Why many Chinese women didn’t celebrate Mother’s Day

Church

May 10, 2016

Mothers across the globe celebrated Mother’s Day on Sunday with their husbands and children. But for many women in China, Mother’s Day was a haunting reminder of the cost of their country’s harsh reproductive laws. While abortion rates in China have in the past been numbered at 13 million per