(Vatican Radio) The Syrian army confirmed on Monday that a “regime of calm” has been extended for a further 48 hours around Damascus, the country’s capital.This cessation of hostilities in the capital comes after a resurgence of violence in the country’s northern Aleppo region, which has seen more than 250 people killed in the last 9 days, and threatens to destabilize the 9 week truce put in place by UN officials.Vatican Radio’s Georgia Gogarty spoke with Patrick Nicholson, the Director of Communications at Caritas Internationalis, about the current situation, following his trip to Damascus last week.Listen: Nicholson described Damascus as “calm when you go there”, however there is an “air of tension”. People are choosing to continue with their daily lives, and attempting to live as normally as possible despite the constant threat of air strikes and suicide attacks, as was the case last week.When asked about the state of the re...
(Vatican Radio) The Syrian army confirmed on Monday that a “regime of calm” has been extended for a further 48 hours around Damascus, the country’s capital.
This cessation of hostilities in the capital comes after a resurgence of violence in the country’s northern Aleppo region, which has seen more than 250 people killed in the last 9 days, and threatens to destabilize the 9 week truce put in place by UN officials.
Vatican Radio’s Georgia Gogarty spoke with Patrick Nicholson, the Director of Communications at Caritas Internationalis, about the current situation, following his trip to Damascus last week.
Listen:
Nicholson described Damascus as “calm when you go there”, however there is an “air of tension”. People are choosing to continue with their daily lives, and attempting to live as normally as possible despite the constant threat of air strikes and suicide attacks, as was the case last week.
When asked about the state of the rest of the country, Nicholson said people “need everything”, from healthcare to clean drinking water. Although there is general impoverishment throughout Syria due to “rampant” inflation and lack of basics, areas that aid agencies cannot reach in particular face “a severe humanitarian crisis”.
Caritas Syria is providing “an array of help and aid across the country”, including food, clothing, paying rent and counselling in order to help those, particularly children, to overcome some of the trauma they have experienced.
Talking about the future of Syria, Nicholson said all parties should be involved in continued dialogue and that the international community “must stop sending guns and fighters and supporting different warring factions” in order to ensure peace. He stressed the importance of Pope Francis’s call for all to respect the cessation of hostilities, saying that not only do his words have an impact on the work of Caritas but in Syria itself. According to Nicholson he is the “one world leader who is speaking out on the subject” and reminding the world about the terrible situation the country is facing.
Pope Francis speaks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Sept. 25, 2015. / L'Osservatore Romano.Rome Newsroom, Apr 25, 2024 / 07:22 am (CNA).Pope Francis is reportedly considering returning to the United States in September to speak before the United Nations General Assembly.The news was initially reported by the French Catholic newspaper La Croix and has not yet been officially confirmed by the Vatican. A source from the Vatican Secretariat of State, meanwhile, told CNA this week that "a formal invitation has arrived from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Pope Francis seems inclined to respond positively."If the New York trip occurs, the pope would visit the United Nations during its "Summit of the Future," which the international body will convene from Sept. 22 to 23.The possible trip to the United States could change the pope's already-busy September travel schedule. The Holy See Press Office has announced that Pope Francis will be in Indonesia...
Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of the multinational digital communications conglomerate Cisco, signs the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a document by the Pontifical Academy for Life, on April 24, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, Apr 24, 2024 / 11:06 am (CNA).The CEO of Cisco Systems signed the Vatican's artificial intelligence ethics pledge on Wednesday, becoming the latest technology giant to join the Church's call for ethical and responsible use of AI.Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of the multinational digital communications conglomerate, met privately with Pope Francis on April 24 before signing the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a document by the Pontifical Academy for Life. Pope Francis meets with Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of multinational digital communications conglomerate Cisco, on April 24, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican MediaThe document, first published by the pontifical academy in February 2020, has previously been signed ...
null / Credit: Brian A Jackson / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 24, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).Catholics Charities Corporation in Ohio was found partially negligent this week in the 2017 death of a 5-year-old boy who was being supervised by one of the organization's caseworkers at the time he died.A jury in Cuyahoga County ruled in the wrongful death suit that the Catholic charity group was 8% responsible for Jordan Rodriguez's September 2017 death, local media reported. Rodriguez's body was discovered buried in his mother's backyard three months after he died.The boy's mother and her boyfriend earlier pleaded guilty to several charges stemming from his death, including involuntary manslaughter. Jordan was developmentally disabled and incapable of speaking.In the civil wrongful death trial this week, Catholic Charities Corporation was ordered to pay $960,000 into Jordan Rodriguez's estate. Several ...