United Nations

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Bishop Rolando Álvarez of the Diocese of Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

UN calls on Nicaragua to free Bishop Álvarez and other political prisoners

Mar 7, 2023

By Walter Sanchez Silva

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the Nicaraguan dictatorship to release Bishop... Read more

Logos of WYD Lisbon 2023 and the 2030 Agenda.

Spanish bishop: Reference to UN’s Agenda 2030 on World Youth Day website was ‘a mistake’

Jan 31, 2023

By CNA Staff

The bishop of Orihuela-Alicante in Spain, José Ignacio Munilla, called the reference to the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 on the... Read more

The United Nations General Assembly in New York.

African nations stand alone against abortion rights, gender ideology at the UN 

Sep 16, 2022

By Edie Heipel

The resolution includes language stating that countries must provide “access to safe abortion” as a “human right.” Read more

Bishop José Álvarez Lagos is surrounded by police officers on Aug. 4, 2022. The bishop's detention was cited in a Sept. 13, 2022, U.N. human-rights report.

UN human rights report on Nicaragua cites ‘attacks on Catholic Church’

Sep 15, 2022

By Zelda Caldwell

The United Nations Human Rights Council released a report Sept. 13 that condemned the regime of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega. Read more

Uyghur women work in a cloth factory in Hotan county, Xinjiang province, China.

UN: China’s mistreatment of the Uyghurs amounts to modern-day slavery

Aug 17, 2022

By Jonah McKeown

In recent years, China has detained Uyghurs in hundreds of “reeducation camps” and reportedly subjected them to torture and political... Read more

Pope Francis on Palm Sunday 2022 in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Francis joins UN chief’s appeal for Ukraine war Easter truce

Apr 21, 2022

By Hannah Brockhaus

The Eastern Orthodox churches and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church will celebrate Easter on April 24 this year. Read more

Pope Francis speaks during his weekly general audience on April 6, 2022.

Pope Francis: We are witnessing the ‘impotence’ of the UN in the Ukraine war

Apr 6, 2022

By Courtney Mares

The pope made the comments during a reflection on his recent trip to Malta at his weekly general audience. Read more

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, speaks at a press conference in Rome, Sept. 28, 2017.

World needs action to back COVID vaccines and health care access, Cardinal Parolin tells UN

Sep 27, 2021

By Kevin J. Jones

The failure to provide health care access, testing, and vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic deserves global scrutiny, Cardinal Pietro Parolin... Read more

Early morning in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Vatican urges countries to accept refugees from Afghanistan

Aug 25, 2021

By Courtney Mares

A Vatican diplomat challenged nations to “move from declaration to action.” Read more

Pope Francis to UN chief: World hunger ‘a crime that violates basic human rights’

Jul 27, 2021

By CNA Staff

The pope called for a “new mindset” in the battle against malnutrition. Read more

The Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, which houses the meeting room of the UN Human Rights Council.

Holy See to UN: Children should not be ‘collateral victims’ of violence against women

Jul 8, 2021

By Hannah Brockhaus

The Vatican reaffirmed the right to life of “children conceived as a result of sexual violence.” Read more

The Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, which houses the meeting room of the UN Human Rights Council.

UN experts’ letter to Vatican has ‘no real teeth,’ says Church official

Jun 21, 2021

By CNA Staff

The letter accused the Holy See of engaging in “obstructive practices” related to abuse. Read more

The meeting room of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Statement by UN ‘experts’ seeks to discredit the Holy See

Jun 20, 2021

By Andrea Gagliarducci

The statement by a group of U.N. experts will ‘give the Holy See a pie in the face.’ Read more

Pope Francis: Ecosystem degradation ‘a clear outcome of economic dysfunction’

Jun 4, 2021

By CNA Staff

The pope issued a message marking the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Read more

A view of St. Peter's Basilica and Vatican City Flag.

World Health Organization grants Holy See permanent observer status

Jun 1, 2021

By Christine Rousselle

As a permanent observer, the Holy See will be able to participate in debates at the World Health Organization. Read more

Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič

Vatican diplomat criticizes ‘divisive’ UN Human Rights Council report on Islamophobia

Mar 10, 2021

A Vatican diplomat has said that a UN Human Rights Council report on Islamophobia risks “polarizing the international community.” Read more

World Food Program head David Beasley meets Pope Francis at the Vatican Jan. 28, 2021. Credit: Vatican Media.

Pope Francis meets World Food Program head as agency warns about child hunger

Jan 28, 2021

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis met on Thursday with the head of the World Food Program, as the organization issued a warning that... Read more

Credit: Oleksandr Lysenko/Shutterstock

Disability cannot be grounds for voluntary euthanasia, UN officials say

Jan 27, 2021

By Christine Rousselle

A disability rights organization praised United Nations human rights experts for condemning voluntary euthanasia on the basis of disability.  Read more

UN adopts resolution on protecting religious sites

Jan 22, 2021

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Thursday calling for greater efforts to protect religious sites from acts of terrorism... Read more

Flag of mozambique in the world map.

Situation 'desperate' in Mozambique following rise in extremist attacks

Nov 17, 2020

The United Nations human rights commissioner has called for international attention and aid in Mozambique in response to an escalating... Read more