Holy See

Sabina Castelfranco

ROME — Since last year, Pope Francis has gradually and carefully been stepping up his criticism of the suffering that Venezuela’s people have been enduring under the government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

On Monday 16 October 2017 the Council adopted the EU Annual Report on Human Rights And Democracy in the World in 2016.

2016 was a challenging year for human rights and democracy, with a shrinking space for civil society and complex humanitarian and political crises emerging. In this context, the European Union showed leadership and remained strongly committed to promote and protect human rights and democracy across the world.

Gesture aims to encourage governments to support FAO's emergency response

21 July 2017, Rome - In an unprecedented move, Pope Francis has symbolically donated €25,000 to FAO's efforts supporting people facing food insecurity and famine in East Africa.

Pope Francis said the funds are "a symbolic contribution to an FAO programme that provides seeds to rural families in areas affected by the combined effects of conflicts and drought."

The Vatican announced a donation from Pope Francis to Caritas for its work in South Sudan, along with support to two other Catholic groups working in the country.

South Sudan has been declared free of famine, but almost 2 million people are on the brink of starvation and an estimated 6 million people will face extreme food insecurity in the coming weeks, according to reports by the government and the United Nations.

LESVOS, Greece, April 16 (UNHCR) – The UN Refugee Agency welcomes the Pope's demonstration of solidarity with the world's refugees today on his visit to the Greek island of Lesvos and by offering a home to three Syrian families.

Pope Francis travelled back to Rome from Lesvos on Saturday (April 16) with 12 Syrians, including three women, three men and six children aged from four to 14 years of age. Two families are from the capital, Damascus, and one from the city of Deir ez-Zor.

The Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, has announced a joint emergency campaign with the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake in Nepal. In addition, the Government of Canada has announced it will match any contributions to assist Nepal which are collected by May 25, 2015.

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