Jeanie Hannaman

By Sarah Cain, Crisis Magazine -A persecution from within always cuts the deepest; but these wounded people are responding as Catholics always have. Shoved into a half-hearted attempt at an ersatz chapel, they pray with only the beauty they have, and with a true unity—a conformity with the Church that has spanned the ages. Above all, they plead to Heaven: “Sing with us, ye Seraphim.” Until we can join the Church Triumphant, we will pray and worship as so many of them once did. 

It is my hope that the upcoming international summits of the United Nations — the 2025 Climate Change Conference (COP 30), the 53rd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security, and the 2026 Water Conference — will listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, families, indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants and believers throughout the world. At the same time, I encourage everyone, especially young people, parents and those who work in local and national administrations and institutions, to play their part in finding solutions for today’s “cultural, spiritual and educational challenges” (Laudato Si’, 202), always striving tenaciously for the common good. There is no room for indifference or resignation.