Jonathan Luxmoore

Aid organizations warn that increasing attacks by Russian missiles are preventing supply access to Ukraine, after strike in Dnipro killed 44 civilians and after a Catholic volunteer lost a leg delivering food in Bakhmut.

When a Dutch journalist claimed to have found documents indicating that Pope John Paul II covered up clergy sexual abuse while serving as the archbishop of Krakow, it sparked a predictable media frenzy in Poland.

No one will arrest the pope or a Vatican diplomat for speaking their mind," said Natallia Vasilevich. "Viewed from Belarus, however, Rome seems more interested in good relations with the (Alexander) Lukashenko regime."

A Ukrainian bishop warned huge numbers of citizens could flee to Western countries during winter, and he appealed for continued international support in the face of a threatened "humanitarian catastrophe."

The European Union's Catholic bishops urged action to protect the bloc's 450 million citizens against dramatic energy and food price hikes this winter.

Russia's bishops said Catholics face dilemmas responding to a mass call-up for the war in Ukraine, and they urged President Vladimir Putin's government to recognize conscientious objection.

While no one doubts the pope's good intentions in seeking dialogue with the Russians, many have urged him to take a tougher stance against President Vladimir Putin's aggression.

A senior Russian priest dismissed President Vladimir Putin's threats of nuclear war as "just words," but said many young Catholics now fear being forcibly conscripted with their priests to join the war against Ukraine.

The Polish bishops' conference has cautiously endorsed new government demands for $1.29 trillion in reparations from Germany for damage during World War II, although a spokesman said the church hoped this would not impede relations between the neighboring countries.

Many of Ukraine's Catholics remain "upbeat and determined" despite fears of intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine's Independence Day, said a senior priest, who added that parish life was also continuing under tight surveillance in occupied areas.

The deep acrimonies surrounding the conflict in Ukraine have raised questions about interfaith ties with the Vatican and in the World Council of Churches, as well as about the realistic chances of religious mediation.

Church representatives from French-speaking Africa have urged closer regional cooperation in Catholic peacebuilding to offset mounting economic and security challenges across the continent.

When a group of Polish archbishops paid a "solidarity visit" to Ukraine in late May, their presence also highlighted the key role played by Polish Catholic clergy in sustaining Ukrainian religious life.

The bishops of Spain have asked forgiveness for sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, while defending the Catholic Church's right to oppose laws which violate Christian teaching.

France's Catholic bishops have stepped up calls for an 'integral ecology' to protect the environment while also warning citizens not to 'expect a savior or messiah' after the first round of presidential elections April 10.

A bishop in Ukraine accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting aid centers and of destroying the port of Mariupol to scare other cities into surrendering.

A Catholic bishop in the threatened Ukrainian port of Odesa warned of "ferocious resistance" if Russian forces launch a frontal assault.

Although Russia's Catholics hold different views about the conflict in Ukraine, a spokesman for the country's bishops said all are united in welcoming Pope Francis' plan to consecrate their country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

As Russian troops battled Ukrainian forces during the third week of their invasion, the militant stance of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill seemed to dash hopes of closer ties between his community and the Catholic Church.

The president of the Lithuanian bishops' conference warned that his country and its neighbors could be targeted if Russian President Vladimir Putin imposes his will on Ukraine.