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JACKSON, Ga. (AP) -- They arrive by the busload each Tuesday and Thursday, dozens of new inmates entering Georgia's prison system. Most stay only a week or two. But for those sentenced to die, this is their last stop....
BRUSSELS (AP) -- Belgian authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of a 10th person in connection with last month's bloodbath in Paris and said six others have been detained for questioning over a suspected plot to stage new attacks in Brussels during the holidays....
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Officials closed a major interstate highway south of St. Louis on Thursday morning amid historic flooding that has already left at least 20 people dead....
In Bangkok, police-flanked partygoers will ring in the new year at the site of a deadly bombing that took place just months ago. In Paris, residents recovering from their city's own deadly attacks will enjoy scaled-back celebrations. And in Belgium's capital, authorities anxious after thwarting what they say was a holiday terror plot have canceled festivities altogether....
 WASHINGTON- The United States has a moral obligation to protect unaccompanied children and families from persecution in Central America, said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, October 21. Bishop Seitz is an advisor to the USCCB Committee on Migration and a member of the board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).The humanitarian outflow, driven by organized crime in the northern triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, continues, with nearly 40,000 unaccompanied children and an equal number of mothers with children having arrived in the United States in Fiscal Year 2015."If we do not respond justly and humanely to this challenge in our own backyard, then we will relinquish our moral leadership and moral influence globally," Bishop Seitz said.Bishop Seitz pointed to the human consequences of U.S. policies which are designed to deter migration from the region, i...
 WASHINGTON- The United States has a moral obligation to protect unaccompanied children and families from persecution in Central America, said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, October 21. Bishop Seitz is an advisor to the USCCB Committee on Migration and a member of the board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).
The humanitarian outflow, driven by organized crime in the northern triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, continues, with nearly 40,000 unaccompanied children and an equal number of mothers with children having arrived in the United States in Fiscal Year 2015.
"If we do not respond justly and humanely to this challenge in our own backyard, then we will relinquish our moral leadership and moral influence globally," Bishop Seitz said.
Bishop Seitz pointed to the human consequences of U.S. policies which are designed to deter migration from the region, including U.S. support for Mexican interdiction efforts which are intercepting children and families in Mexico and sending them back to danger, in violation of international law.
Bishop Seitz recommended an end to these interdictions and the introduction of a regional system which would screen children and families for asylum in Mexico and other parts of the region. He also called for Congress to approve and increase a $1 billion aid package proposed by the Administration.
"If we export enforcement," Bishop Seitz said, "we also must export protection."
Bishop Seitz recalled the words of Pope Francis before Congress in September, when he invoked the golden rule in guiding our nation's actions toward those seeking safety in our land.
Quoting the Holy Father, Bishop Seitz repeated to the committee, "'The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.'"
"Mr. Chairman, I pray that time, and history, will conclude that we honored this rule in meeting this humanitarian challenge," Bishop Seitz concluded.
Bishop Seitz' testimony can be found at http://www.usccb.org//about/migration-policy/congressional-testimony/upload/seitz-ongoing-migration.pdf
Keywords: Bishop Mark J. Seitz, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Congress, Senate, Committee on Migration, migration, unaccompanied children, violence, Pope Francis
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(Vatican Radio) The international aid agency Oxfam has warned that this year’s very strong El Niño weather phenomenon will impact the lives of millions of people because of droughts and floods. The current El Niño has been linked to a number of floods and droughts occurring in different areas of the world and also to unusually warm conditions in the northern hemisphere.Some parts of eastern and southern Africa are grappling with their worst droughts in decades and the humanitarian impact of the ongoing El Niño phenomenon is a source of great concern for aid agencies. Susy Hodges spoke to Oxfam Great Britain’s Humanitarian Director Jane Cockin and asked about their concerns.Listen to the interview with Oxfam GB’s Humanitarian director Jane Cockin: Speaking about Oxfam's concern for the current El Niño phenomenon, Jane Cockin explained that "although we've been seeing El Niño events for as long as records have be...
(Vatican Radio) The international aid agency Oxfam has warned that this year’s very strong El Niño weather phenomenon will impact the lives of millions of people because of droughts and floods. The current El Niño has been linked to a number of floods and droughts occurring in different areas of the world and also to unusually warm conditions in the northern hemisphere.
Some parts of eastern and southern Africa are grappling with their worst droughts in decades and the humanitarian impact of the ongoing El Niño phenomenon is a source of great concern for aid agencies. Susy Hodges spoke to Oxfam Great Britain’s Humanitarian Director Jane Cockin and asked about their concerns.
Listen to the interview with Oxfam GB’s Humanitarian director Jane Cockin:
Speaking about Oxfam's concern for the current El Niño phenomenon, Jane Cockin explained that "although we've been seeing El Niño events for as long as records have begun, this year is definitely a super El Niño and that means it's going to have a major impact on millions of people across Central America, large parts of Africa, and parts of Asia and the Pacific as well".
"We think", she said, "that the numbers of people who are going to be affected will be greatest in East Africa and Southern Africa, but there will also be millions of people in places like Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Papua New Guinea, and several of the Pacific islands are already experiencing severe droughts as a result of El Niño."
Touching on how this event will affect people's lives, Ms. Cockin said "Ethiopia, for example, is already experiencing a major drought and the drought itself could be as bad as the one we saw in 1985, although people's ability to cope with it is definitely better than 30 years ago."
When asked how the international community could come together to mitigate the effects of the El Niño weather event, she said the good news of the situation is that "in many places the impact of El Niño will not be at its most intense until next February, March, April. So it's still possible to support people to look after what harvests they've been able to reap, and also to prepare to improve water supplies and improve their livelihood now, so that the impact of El Niño need not be as catastrophic as it could be."
TOKYO (AP) -- In the gentrified kitsch landscape Takashi Murakami depicts, 500 grotesque priests parade along dazzlingly colorful giant panels....
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) -- A grand jury has indicted the man who provided the guns used in the San Bernardino massacre on counts that include lying on documents when he bought the assault rifles and helping to plan earlier terror attacks that were never carried out, authorities said....
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Officials are preparing for the possible shutdown of a major interstate highway south of St. Louis amid historic flooding that has already left at least 20 people dead....
ZWICKAU, Germany (AP) -- After months of flight and fear, the Habashieh family of Syria is starting to build a new home in Europe's heart and faces 2016 with an unfamiliar feeling enriching their lives. It's called hope....
