‘The Kuomintang (KMT)—sole ruling party of the country during its rule from 1927 to 1949—and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had been engaged in armed conflict since 1927. The warring parties had to halt the hostilities and temporarily unite with each other against Japan’s invasion of China in the Second Sino–Japanese War (1937–1945).’

‘Pope Pius X, for us Catholics, is perhaps best remembered for his battle against modernism within the Church when he promulgated his Encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907). He is also considered the “Pope of the Eucharist”…Yet, less well known is his crusade for peace and his remarkable political insight, through which he foresaw the outbreak of World War I…years before it erupted.’

‘Hungary, too, was forced to be part of the Soviet bloc when Soviet troops entered the country in 1945. Three years later, the future Cardinal and Primate of Hungary, József Mindszenty, opened the Marian Year to entrust, like King St. Stephen, the fate of Hungary to the intercession of the Blessed Mother…’

‘Bismarck’s campaign for a “good treaty” with Russia reflected the notion that antagonizing the Russians could be as disastrous as waking a bear from hibernation—an apt metaphor for what the U.S.–NATO expansionist approach eventually did…Bismarck emphasized the urgency of not only respecting Russia’s interests but also recognizing it as a crucial player on the global political stage…’

‘The failure of African states to properly address their racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, and economic differences provided a fertile ground for rebel groups, like al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram, al-Shabaab, al-Mulathameen Brigade, and now the Allied Democratic Forces to prosper.’

‘…just recently, during the EU–China summit hosted by Xi, not only was there no Chinese delegation to welcome European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other top EU leaders, but the Chinese autocrat also made them take a bus to reach the summit venue. This does not look like a man who is on his way out.’

‘Christian leaders in Sudan have urgently appealed for help, calling on the global Church and the international community to intervene. Many feel abandoned, with their suffering overshadowed by other global crises. Nevertheless, our Christian brethren continue to hope against all odds—trusting in a loving God who reminds us that the end of all things is not in this world.’

‘Leo XIII hinted…that Christians and non-Christians alike…can only benefit from natural law…because it “is universally valid apart from and above other more debatable beliefs, [and] constitutes the compass by which to take our bearings in legislating and acting, particularly on the delicate and pressing ethical issues that, today more than in the past, regard personal life and privacy.”’

‘In any case, this is not the first time Emperor Joseph II…is presented as an unsentimental authoritarian who deprecated the Catholic Church through his reforms…Yet, if we take the time to research and grasp the historical context in which such reforms were implemented, and contrast them with the secular ones, we arrive at an altogether different conclusion about the man.’

Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the U.S., yet the legacy of human bondage extends far beyond American shores. From African complicity in the slave trade to Black slaveholders in early America, and the persistence of slavery in parts of modern Africa, this article explores the often overlooked complexities of a global and ongoing issue.