Violence

Burundi bishops call for national dialogue to avert renewed civil war
- Global Church
- September 21, 2017
Earlier this month, a United Nations inquiry claimed that crimes against humanity are being committed in Burundi. The report said killings, torture, sexual violence, degrading treatment, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests have been taking place since the controversial 2015 election. The bishops said in a statement, “We want to once again insist on the inclusive dialogue that must be prioritized for the greater interest of the nation and with a view to blocking the way to all those who choose the path of war.”
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Pope to Colombia: ‘You’re not alone’ in search for peace
- Pope in Colombia
- September 7, 2017
During his first official address in his Sept. 6-11 visit to Colombia, Pope Francis told civil authorities to work to resolve the structural causes of poverty that lead to exclusion and violence. “Let us not forget that inequality is the root of social ills.”
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Explosive device detonated outside Mexican bishops’ offices
- Catholic News Service, Global Church
- July 25, 2017
No one was injured by an explosive outside the headquarters of the Mexican bishops’ conference. The bishops’ offices occupy a busy strip across the street from the sanctuary of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The area is swarmed by pilgrims and tourists during the daytime and is transited by commuters in rush hour.
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Vatican announces pope will attend reconciliation events in Colombia
- Catholic News Service, Global Church, Pope in Colombia
- June 26, 2017
Colombian Vice President Oscar Naranjo said in an interview published June 23 in El Tiempo newspaper that that Pope Francis’ September trip comes at a time in the country “when the discussion stops being about how to win the war, but how to achieve peace.”
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Southern DRC violence has left more than 3,000 dead
- Catholic News Agency, Global Church
- June 22, 2017
Despite efforts by the Vatican to facilitate peace, a new report by Catholic officials shows that more than 3,300 people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s southern region due to the bloody conflict between the Congolese army and an opposing militia group.
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Portlanders respond to killings with prayer and eclectic spirituality
- Church in the US, Religion News Service
- June 4, 2017
Lizabeth Norton of Portland, a nurse educator for a drug company and a member of the Madeleine Catholic Parish, said the church felt like a safe environment “to come and be hurt and angry and try to understand. For me, the real takeaway is: Where can we have compassion and understanding? And it’s really through a faith-based understanding of forgiveness and mercy and understanding and love.”
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