Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The bishops said that they “turn to the Lord in prayer and stand in solidarity with all those suffering from devastating violence, instability and injustice in the Holy Land, Lebanon, Iran and the wider Middle East region. In particular, we remember the Christian communities, whose presence in these lands, where our faith has its roots, remains a powerful testimony of perseverance, resilience and hope.”

The bishops also visited two Christian villages in Northern Cyprus, which has been under Turkish military occupation since 1974. At the Maronite co-cathedral in one of the villages, Archbishop Selim Sfeir preached that “we desire more than ever the full return of our villages and our places of divine worship, and we renew our firm commitment, with great determination and continuous effort, to achieve this return in a spirit of responsibility, perseverance, and cooperation.”

“Nutrition programs that support the basic right to food should be strengthened,” the signatories wrote. “We must work to ensure every person has enough nutritious food to sustain a life with dignity, promote good stewardship of the land and natural resources, and provide support to struggling farmers, ranchers, and workers.”

Among the many requests in the letter, the signatories wrote:

• “we implore Congress to fully fund WIC at no less than the same level as FY2026 (factoring inflation and WIC’s growing caseload)”
• “we also ask that you delay the newly created state cost sharing requirements for SNAP benefits and administrative expenses by one to two years”
• “please increase funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which funds the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)”
• “agricultural subsidies and direct payments must be targeted to small and moderate-sized farms, especially those of Black farmers and other historically marginalized groups”
• “we especially urge Congress to counteract policies that facilitate and promote access to chemical abortion through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)”

“In 2025, at least 326 humanitarian workers were killed in 21 countries, bringing the number of victims of this war against those who deliver aid to the civilian population to 1,010 in just three years,” Fides reported. “Often, death comes from the sky: airstrikes, especially in Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine, are the leading cause of fatalities.”

Half a million children are at risk of death from malnutrition in Somalia, L’Osservatore Romano reported in the most prominent front-page article in its April 28 edition.

The Vatican newspaper warned of an “explosive crisis” in Mali and other nations of Africa’s Sahel region because of jihadist attacks.