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WASHINGTON – The release of three American prisoners from North Korea was hailed as an important first step in addressing abuses within the nation, as U.S. leaders call for a continued expansion of religious freedom initiatives in U.S. foreign policy.

WASHINGTON – In front of a small crowd of cabinet members and religious leaders at the White House Rose Garden May 3, President Donald Trump announced, and then signed, an executive order giving faith-based groups a stronger voice in the federal government.

WASHINGTON – Continuing the legal drama against a program that protects some 800,000 young adults brought into the country without legal documentation as minors, seven states have filed a lawsuit attempting once more to end it.

MEXICO CITY – The first members of the Central American caravan of migrants have been allowed to make asylum claims, but a Scalabrinian priest said "very, very few" have their applications accepted.

Koreans are ready for peace, reconciliation and unification, but those hopes are riding on what happens next between North KoreaöÏÓãÊÓƵapp Kim Jung Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, Christian experts on Korea have told The Catholic Register.

The other night I was watching TVOöÏÓãÊÓƵapp The Agenda and an erudite, award-winning author was talking about two taboos: politics and religion. It was fascinating television on several levels as she linked the two in TrumpöÏÓãÊÓƵapp America.

VATICAN – Sharply criticizing a failure to find nonviolent means of bringing peace to Syria and other parts of the world, Pope Francis appealed to world leaders to work for justice and peace.

WASHINGTON – Catholic Church leaders and immigration advocates say President Donald Trump's recent moves to clamp down on immigration are extreme and unnecessary.

WASHINGTON – The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration committee said April 11 he agrees with concerns raised issued by U.S. bishops on the southern border about President Donald Trump's call to deploy National Guard troops to the region.

MEXICO – The Mexican bishops' conference criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to deploy National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and issued a strong defense of migrants, saying the Catholic Church could not stand by "in the face of suffering by our brother migrants as they seek better conditions by crossing the border to work and contribute to the common good."

WASHINGTON – Catholic leaders in Texas criticized President Donald Trump's April 4 announcement that he would be deploying National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

The global refugee crisis is transforming Catholic outreach, as agencies and the communities they serve struggle to bring basic services to 66 million people displaced by war, famine and natural disaster and another 258 million voluntary migrants seeking a better life outside their home countries.

WASHINGTON – On the day that marked the fifth anniversary of the election of a pope who has called on others to "build bridges, not walls," the president of the United States toured Southern California to look at prototypes for a wall he promised to build on the border with Mexico.

Nothing changed after 20 very young children were slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., five years ago.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Under a billowing white tent and Carolina blue sky, Christian leaders and close friends said goodbye to "America's pastor," the Rev. Billy Graham, during a private funeral service March 2.