via the AP: Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers unexpectedly decided against reopening schools Wednesday to girls above the sixth grade, reneging on a promise and opting to appease their hard-line base at the expense of further alienating the international community. The surprising decision, confirmed by a Taliban official, is bound to disrupt efforts by the Taliban to… Read More Taliban Breaks Promise, Keeps Schools for Girls Closed

via CNS: Co-hosted by Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless, podcast episodes focus on three main segments — Catholic news, an interview with a guest and faith-sharing — “often over drinks,” as the podcast tagline puts it, and through the lens of Ignatian spirituality. With over a million total downloads and about 40,000-50,000 downloads per month,… Read More Jesuitical at 5: Podcast by Millennial Catholics Reaches a Broad and Growing Audience

Anna Floerke Schied and Tobias Winright write: The just war tradition is anchored in the principle of neighbour-love, which calls us to imitate the Good Samaritan and be the neighbour who acts out of love for those in dire need and distress (Luke 10:25-37). As the twentieth-century Methodist ethicist Paul Ramsey asked, had the Samaritan… Read More Ukraine’s Just War Against Russia’s Unjust Aggression

via the Washington Post: At least 17 people, including staffers and patients, were injured after a maternity hospital in Mariupol was struck by Russian forces, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. Images of the aftermath show injured pregnant women being carried from the scene. Videos shared on social media and verified by The Washington Post show damage… Read More Russia Bombs Maternity Hospital in Latest War Crime