US & Canada

The recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, has left the city reeling with shock and grief. The tragedy has had a profound impact on the community, both emotionally and economically. As the city grapples with the aftermath, one local parish has emerged as a beacon of hope and support for those affected. Father Ako Trevor Walker, a Redemptorist missionary and pastor... Read More

Cathy Harmon-Christian, Executive Director, of Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (GFADP) writes: A few moments ago I received a one word text: Denied. It is heartbreaking that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied clemency for Willie James Pye, a man who is intellectually disabled and supposed to be protected from execution by US Supreme Court law. Willie is also a Black ma... Read More

The US State of Georgia has suddenly announced the upcoming execution of Willie Pye, 58, a man convicted of murder 28 years ago. The date has been set for next Wednesday, 20 March. Campaigners are appealing for a last-minute reprieve. Willie's first death sentence was reversed due to his court-appointed attorney's failure to investigate his background, but it was reinstated on appeal. Mr Pye's cou... Read More

Alex Schadenberg, leader of Canada's Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, is one of the world's premier opponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide. With Liam McArthur MSP planning to publish his proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill imminently - and in the wake of recent developments in Westminster, Jersey and the Isle of Man - Care Not Killing has partnered with the Arc... Read More

On Tuesday, 12 February the United States vetoed another United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It was the third time that the US has vetoed such a resolution (Oct 18 & Dec 8) on a ceasefire, in addition to two votes against ceasefire resolutions in the UN General Assembly (Oct 24 & Dec 12). According to the United Nations, more than 2... Read More

National Christian organisations and peacemakers in the US launched a weekly Lenten Ceasefire Campaign on Ash Wednesday in Washington. Gathering near the White House in Lafayette Park, they started with a Catholic Mass, followed by an ecumenical public witness, to call attention to and in mourning for the tens of thousands of lives that have been destroyed in Gaza and Israel since 7 October 2023. ... Read More

The Catholic Church in Canada marked the annual National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Celebrating the Day, Canadian bishops asked the faithful to recall Pope Francis' six-day Pilgrimage of Penance to Canada among the Indigenous Peoples of the nation in July 2022, and in particular, his words of prayer offered at Lac Ste Anne. The Pope t... Read More

Mike Cisneros writes in Angelus News: In 1923, a sign was placed in the hills above Los Angeles hoping to attract buyers to a new real estate development. Though the sign was only meant to be temporary, 100 years later it has become a symbol of both a bygone era and a representation of something that has endured through constantly changing times. That was the Hollywood sign. This year, many LA-a... Read More

In a November 9, 2023 letter to President Biden, Churches from Middle East Peace (CMEP) and thirty American Christian leaders called on President Biden and his Administration to support an immediate ceasefire, de-escalation, and restraint by all involved. The text follows below. Dear President Biden: We, the heads of churches, denominations, and church-based organizations in the United States, rem... Read More

Pope Francis has removed Bishop Joseph E Strickland from the pastoral governance of the diocese of Tyler, USA, and has appointed Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin as apostolic administrator of the same diocese, rendering it sede vacante. The decision came after an apostolic visitation last June in the Diocese of Tyler, which was entrusted to two US bishops, Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, and Bishop... Read More

This afternoon, (2.30 local time) Catholic and other Christian peacemakers held a 'pray-in' near Lafayette Park outside the White House to call on President Joe Biden, a Catholic, to abide by Jesus's way of courageous love and heed Pope Francis's plea to take the side of peace, and urge all parties to de-escalate hostilities; abide by an immediate ceasefire; and release all hostages. The groups i... Read More

Jewish Voices For Peace said in in a statement today: "We're watching a genocide unfold in real time. In just three weeks, the Israeli military has killed over 8,000 Palestinians in Gaza, among them over 3,000 children. That's more than the annual number of children killed in conflicts across the globe since 2019. "As the Israeli military plunged Gaza into darkness on Friday - cutting off all inte... Read More

The Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace have joined more than two dozen US Catholic organizations in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to take the necessary steps to de-escalate the conflict in Israel-Palestine, including calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and for all parties to prioritize corridors for humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza; and to prioritize steps t... Read More

Faith communities across the United States are joining hands to observe the annual World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October. Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), a national organization working to end the death penalty, has identified 16 faith-led events and counting, serving as a poignant reminder that people of faith are helping lead the national effort to abolish capital punishment. Kris... Read More