Commercial surrogacy is banned in many European countries. In the US, the laws vary from state to state. The pope wants to see the practice outlawed worldwide.
Latin America may become the next region to expose childhood clerical sexual abuse. Some victims have spent decades without coming forward because of the importance given to clergy in the community. But a growing number of people are creating support networks for survivors.
Top of The World: A new probe has revealed that Roman Catholic clergy in France had sexually abused more than 200,000 children since 1950. And, Facebook and its associated apps, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, went down for about six hours on Monday around the world. Also, Russia has reported a record number of COVID-19 deaths and infections for the fifth time in a week.
Top of The World: The US’ top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, defended the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. And, Pope Francis has begun a four-day visit to Slovakia after a seven-hour stop in Hungary. Also, nearly 45% of young people interviewed in a global survey say they feel anxiety or distress about climate change
Lebanon on Wednesday marked one year since the horrific explosion at the port of Beirut that killed more than 200 people and injured thousands.
Top of The World: Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich and Freising and confidante of Pope Francis, offered to resign on Friday over the church abuse scandal. And, US President Joe Biden has expanded a blacklist of Chinese companies started by the Trump administration. Also, Facebook is reportedly planning to end a policy that exempted politicians from certain moderation rules.
From Native American traditions to Eastern thought to mainstream Catholicism, spiritual teachings call on humanity to live in harmony with nature.
Most US Catholics believe President Biden should receive Communion, despite his stance on abortion. The push by conservative US bishops to deny him the Eucharist may have more of an impact in other countries.
Lawmakers in Argentina's lower house on Friday passed a bill that would legalize elective abortions to the 14th week of pregnancy, a proposal from President Alberto Fernández in response to long-sought demands from women's rights activists in the homeland of Pope Francis.
President Donald Trump on Monday began his fourth day at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he is being treated for COVID-19. And, missile strikes and violent fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh are continuing in the mountainous Caucasus region. Also, Pope Francis said on Sunday in a new document titled “Fratelli Tutti,” that the coronavirus pandemic has shown that market capitalism has failed
Brazil recorded yet another day of record-high deaths due to the novel coronavirus, as leadership continues to shrug off the crisis. In Mexico, tens of thousands of people are returning to work in the auto factories along the US-Mexico border. World leaders, including the pope, have called out systemic racism in response to George Floyd's killing.