Justice

Days before an environmental justice conference at Loyola Marymount University, federal workers withdrew their participation, citing President Trump's orders against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Defending Indigenous communities' rights to land, water and food "is not only a matter of justice, but also a guarantee of a sustainable future for all," Francis wrote in a message to the global meeting of the Indigenous Peoples' Forum at the International Fund for Agricultural Development held in Rome Feb. 10-11

Fray Bartolomé, as the Maká call it, was offered to them through a decree issued in 1944 by strongman Higinio Morínigo, then Paraguay's president. It was meant as a present, the Maká have said, to acknowledge their courage and the role they played during the Chaco War against Bolivia in the 1930s.

Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, Washington, knows the gritty realities of the people he shepherds. The bishop's own diocese is located in central Washington, one of the world's leading sources of apples and other produce, largely harvested through migrant labor. On Jan. 27, Tyson offered a plenary policy session titled "Pope Francis' Vision for Ecology, Dialogue, and the Common Good" to hundreds of attendees at the 2025 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington. 

Church volunteers feel called by Christ to help those impacted by Helene. For some, that means fulfilling a mandate to alleviate suffering. For others, it also means proselytizing.

A cross containing dirt stained with the blood of Sister Dorothy Stang, a U.S. member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur shot down in the Amazon 20 years ago, and one of her sweaters were placed Jan. 10 on the altar of the "new martyrs of the Americas" in Rome's Basilica of St. Bartholomew.

The Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Bangladesh, and the local Catholic Church are making a difference by addressing the persistent challenge of access to safe drinking water.

Three months after the murder of Juan López, a Honduran church worker and environmental activist whose death was publicly mourned by Pope Francis, the bishops of Latin America are raising awareness of attacks against those fighting for social justice in the continent.