Sao Paulo

More than 130,000 children in Brazil have been made orphans during the pandemic. Catholic agencies are working with the government to try and meet their needs, and to prevent as many children as possible from being put in temporary shelters.

Mourners lit candles and prayed silently Oct. 30 to honor three people killed in a knife attack at a church, as France heightened security at potential targets at home and abroad amid outrage over its defense of the right to publish cartoons mocking the prophet of Islam.

A letter signed by 152 Brazilian Catholic bishops harshly criticizing President Jair Bolsonaro's unsuccessful handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred controversy among the country's Catholics.

The apparently intentional escalation of fires in the Amazon rainforest has contributed to a growing political split among religious groups in Brazil, as the country's Catholic bishops and Protestant denominations have spoken out against President Jair Bolsonaro's environmental policies while his evangelical Christian allies have remained silent, or even debunked the criticism.

In the past few decades, Brazil has experienced an unexpected Jewish resurgence fueled by the descendants of Portuguese and Spanish Jews forced to convert to Christianity in colonial times.

Pope Francis has chosen Brazil's Cardinal Cláudio Hummes to serve as relator general of next year's Synod of Bishops on the Amazon.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree in mid-January making it easier for Brazilians to purchase firearms. The decision sparked criticism from several groups in Brazilian society, including some in the Catholic Church.

Redemptorist Fr. Charles Vijay Kumar's upcoming documentary, "Who Is My Neighbor?", shows the human faces of worldwide migration and asks for a Christian response.