More than 100 people, including a Catholic religious sister, are still listed as missing after Typhoon Yagi, the most powerful storm to hit Asia this year, left at least 233 dead in northern Vietnam.
Disaster Relief
As wildfires rage in Bolivia, bishops warn of lasting damage to ‘Mother Earth’
The bishops of Bolivia urged the country’s authorities to act quickly in staving off irreparable harm to people and the environment as raging wildfires continue to devastate millions of acres.
CEO of 9/11-related foundation reflects on service to first responders, vets, families
The passage of 23 years has only strengthened Frank Siller’s resolve that first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the soldiers lost in the war that followed will never be forgotten.
Kenya mourns 21 young boys killed in academy dormitory fire
As Kenya mourned the 21 young boys killed in a school dormitory fire Sept. 6 in Kieni, Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Nyeri said the church was heartbroken and urged Christians to stay close to the affected families.
Flash flooding temporarily closes Lourdes’ grotto
River flooding forced the temporary closure of the famous grotto at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France.
Parishes respond with prayer, outreach amid historic Northeast floods
Catholics in Connecticut are working to help those impacted by what one lawmaker described as “historic, unprecedented flooding” Aug. 18-19 that took two lives and forced hundreds to flee for safety.
World Humanitarian Day highlights tragic record sacrifice of aid workers in war zones
As the world commemorates World Humanitarian Day 2024, the latest figures on the dire circumstances aid workers face on the frontline highlight the alarming increase in attacks against them and their work to relieve the suffering of civilians caught in the crossfire.
Sudanese humanitarian situation ‘can’t wait,’ says bishop; military evacuates last missionaries
On the first day of talks in Geneva aimed at ending the 16-month Sudanese conflict, a Catholic bishop in the region stressed that addressing the humanitarian situation in the northeast African country cannot not wait for “tomorrow.”
A year after historic Maui wildfires, community is resilient, optimistic even as needs persist
The devastation wrought by the wildfires in West Maui last year is unmatched in recent history.
Amid devastation of Israel-Hamas war, miracles happen, says Caritas Jerusalem
The staff of the international Catholic relief arm Caritas Jerusalem are expressing praise and gratitude for God’s seeming miraculous intervention on a Gaza church compound July 29.
Archbishop prays for residents, tourists in Canadian Rockies town devastated by wildfires
Edmonton Archbishop Richard W. Smith’s heart is with the people of Jasper, Alberta, and tourists forced to evacuate from the wildfire devastating the small alpine town and the neighboring famous Jasper National Park in the overnight hours of July 24 and 25.
War is tearing Sudan apart, bishops say
As fighting continues to rage in Sudan in the Horn of Africa, Catholic bishops in neighboring South Sudan accused warring factions of committing “horrendous war crimes” while the people are suffering “a humanitarian disaster.”