As the Israel-Hamas war edges toward the one-year mark, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem is calling on the faithful to pray for peace while observing the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Aug. 15.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s latest document on human dignity highlights Pope Francis’ decade-long insistence that every human being – independent of their circumstances, stage of development or state of sin – possesses infinite and inalienable dignity that must be respected and protected.

Pope Francis said that the power of St John’s preaching is linked to the silence he experienced in the desert, which allowed him to listen to the Holy Spirit.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, told reporters during an online meeting on Tuesday 16 October that he is willing to do “anything” to “bring to freedom and bring home the children” taken into Gaza during Hamas’ on 7 October attack on Israel, in which more than 1,300 Israelis were killed.

In a special interview during his recent visit to Perth and Western Australia, Ukrainian Catholic Church in Australia Bishop Mykola Bychok speaks with The Record Editor Jamie O’Brien about his own experience growing up in Ukraine, becoming a bishop during a pandemic, as well as the current crises facing Ukraine.