Pope Leo XIV carried the cross across all fourteen stations for over an hour. The prayers named children who had been “taken away and imprisoned during protests, deported by policies devoid of compassion, shipwrecked on desperate journeys of hope, killed in war zones, and wiped out in death camps.”

“Your hands are full of blood.” theworld.org/segments/202...

With Mideast in conflict, Pope Leo criticizes those who invoke God for war - www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

Interested in Maine politics? Well, not so focused on the politics but really the people in Maine. Check out my friend Jay’s excellent new podcast.

“They say they’re only targeting military sites and figures,... But what we see and care about is innocent people getting hurt.” www.ft.com/content/f5e9...

Maduro is gone. Venezuela is still waiting for meaningful change. www.csmonitor.com/World/Americ...

Myanmar Junta Chief Ascends to President, Five Years After Coup www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/w...

Saudi Arabia says it’s ready to take “all necessary measures” to defend itself from Iran. Riyadh is still hoping for a diplomatic breakthrough, but it’s also getting ready to exercise military options, if necessary. #saudiarabia #iran #diplomacy www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle...

Be careful out there everybody.

Add Austria to the list via AFP. Austria says refused US requests for military overflights Austria has rejected all US requests for military overflights of its territory since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP on Thursday.

You can watch Trump's Iran speech here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGLJ...

"Mr. Trump’s address from the White House comes as he has offered conflicting messages this week about his objectives for the war, which has caused economic fallout across the globe and hundreds of deaths in Iran and other countries in the region." www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04...

“The choice between confrontation and engagement is both real and consequential; its outcome will shape the future for generations to come.” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/w...

Laura’s book, “Children of Paradise: The Struggle For The Soul Of Iran” is a masterpiece.

Laura Secor visited Iran five times from 2004 to 2012. By getting to know her government-assigned handlers, she saw how some people came to accept a brutal regime—and how others resisted:

The address comes after weeks of uncertainty over when and how the U.S. could extricate itself from the conflict . n.pr/4sF1IIe

“Persuading international donors to shift their focus toward family-based care is not straightforward, says anthropologist Mackynzie Archer. ‘Donors often assume a Western-funded orphanage will care for children better than a Haitian family can.’” 🥚

“It is understood the US has not been invited directly to participate in the talks,…” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

A push for child welfare reform in Haiti, the ‘Republic of Orphanages’ — abr.ge/chwvfcq

Saudi Arabia hopes diplomacy works with Iran. It’s also preparing for a military response. @taylorluck.bsky.social reporting from Riyadh — abr.ge/x1do9vs

Despite war, Iran’s machinery of intimidation keeps protesters at bay abr.ge/2z3f1p

These cattle and horses helped power Colonial America. The breeds are still thriving. abr.ge/9wcby0

A U.S. District Court judge found that President Trump's executive ordering the defunding of NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment. n.pr/3PUBm6t

"Overall, Mr. Trump’s second term has proved to be a gift for Chinese leaders, whose long-range goals include upsetting U.S. hegemony and elevating China as the preeminent global power." www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-P...

The Philippines imports 90% of its fuel from the Middle East. As oil and natural gas prices continue to shoot up, the country is confronting a familiar vulnerability: its near-total dependence on imported fuel from one specific region. www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-P...

Out in space, Canada and the US are getting along just fine abr.ge/kov5g3

“… the parties expressed regret over the incident, offered clarifications and acknowledged an agreement between the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and local authorities allowing participation in Holy Week liturgies at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem,” religionnews.com/2026/03/30/i...

This is called “strategic defeat.” You have ended up in a worse position than before you began, with your adversary, while battered, emerging in a stronger position than before.

For security at home and across Europe, France offers nuclear deterrence Read this article from The Christian Science Monitor @csmonitor.bsky.social abr.ge/50rtzzm

"Iran is now earning nearly twice as much from oil sales each day as it did before American and Israeli bombs started falling on February 28th. It may be pummelled on the battlefield, but the regime is winning the energy war." www.economist.com/finance-and-...

“It’s a very, very sacred day for Christians and in our opinion there was no justification for such a decision or such an action,” said Farid Jubran, the spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. apnews.com/article/isra...

SCOOP: The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, U.S. officials said, as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war should President Trump escalate. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Road Safety Experts: Helmets and Hi-Viz Are the Best Tools To Ignore Root Cause Of Road Violence HT @lanrickbennett.bsky.social

In this coffee shop in Vienna, all the cakes are baked by grandmothers and grandfathers and many of the staff are way past retirement age. The cafe is a huge hit with younger generations. Heartwarming story alert! Listen and read more here on @theworld.org theworld.org/stories/2026...

Boston is joining the list of cities that are achieving results after sustained harbor cleanup efforts. Some towns will soon see the return of recreational shellfishing, a New England tradition. #shellfishing #bostonharbor #cleanup www.csmonitor.com/Environment/...

Why Beijing – a self-proclaimed friend of Tehran – has stayed quiet on the war front (This is an excellent story that you can read on the The Christian Science Monitor app, which is also excellent.) abr.ge/cpox4i

Advantage Iran economist.com/leaders/2026... from The Economist

US inflation will surge to 4.2% on energy shock, warns OECD (highest in the G7). www.ft.com/content/e8bc...

"Xi sees Trump as unwilling to come to Taiwan’s defense... especially if America’s involvement in the Middle East, which has led the U.S. to redirect major military assets away from Asia, continues to distract Washington"

Iraq accuses U.S. of killing 7 soldiers in clinic strike — www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

Iranian rulers fought to survive. They found leverage en route to an endgame. (BTW, you can read this article on The Christian Science Monitor’s new app, which is excellent.) abr.ge/ki2lt2

Iran apparently has five demands for ending the war: stop killing our leaders, no future war, no war now, pay us reparations and, by the way, the Strait of Hormuz is ours. apnews.com/article/iran...

“It’s basically the dream team of uber-hawks,... These people are not going to compromise, and I think the regime is much more entrenched than it was a few weeks ago.” www.ft.com/content/108e...

Opinion: In the history of humanity, democracy of any form is a rarity, especially in large powers, Martin Wolf writes ft.trib.al/Em8w4GA

Around 2,000 U.S. Paratroopers to Be Sent to the Middle East www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/u...

The monarch butterflies are outfitted with tiny Bluetooth transmitters that allow them to be tracked across migration routes. www.csmonitor.com/World/Americ...

This may end up being a very expensive war for everybody — www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/b...

Donald Trump may keep a boot on the regime’s neck. But how likely is that to lead to a truly beneficial transformation? econ.st/4lFvMRt Photo: Reuters

Gorgeous visuals and human-centered reporting on Iran, which is far more than just the Strait of Hormuz. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/w...

Hey, you know how places to live are super expensive? It's a global problem, has been for about a decade. But specifics -- and solutions -- vary. Been working on this series with super talented folks @theworld.org Seoul, Johannesburg, Vienna, Caracas theworld.org/stories/2026...