Despite the many conflicts disturbing the peace of the world, including the war in Syria and the Russia-Ukraine impasse, retired Canadian senator Douglas Roche maintains the world is moving to a more peaceful state. That's the premise of his new book Peacemakers: How People around the World are Building a World Free of War. "I'm not saying that everybody in the world is living in harmony or that violence has ended or that suffering is eliminated. What I am saying is that more people are freed from the physical act of warfare than ever before," Roche said in a recent interview.

Priests must acquire the smell of sheep by being close to their flock and attentive to their needs, Archbishop Richard Smith said, relying heavily on an image popularized by Pope Francis. Speaking to a large crowd from every parish in the Edmonton Archdiocese at the April 14 Chrism Mass at St. Joseph's Basilica, Smith challenged priests to go out of themselves to be close to their people and to make their flock's difficulties, fears and pain their own.

Before harming a woman and her unborn child, the act of abortion hurts God, said Father Paul Nicholson. "Truly the first victim in abortion, the first victim in sin, is God," he said. "It is he who is wounded. There is no such thing as a victimless crime." Nicholson addressed about 100 people April 5 at the Campaign Life Coalition's National Pro-Life Conference.

UNICEF estimates that there are 150,000 homeless children in Ukraine, making the country a prime target for human traffickers. Many girls in Ukraine end up in poverty, with little or no education, suffering from malnutrition, inadequate medical care or a lack of housing. One ambitious endeavour aimed at saving these children is through the Bridge of Hope program, a joint effort of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Edmonton and the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, Ukraine. Their solution is called Home of Hope.

BEAUMONT – The Chorest community near Beaumont has voted unanimously to form a new Catholic school district. The formation of the new district will allow Catholic students in the area to attend Académie Saint-André Academy in Beaumont, and help ensure bus transportation will be available for these students.

Life is stronger than death! This is the fundamental conviction of my Christian faith. It is based on a fact: Jesus' disciples were radically transformed only a few days after his death. Let's put ourselves in their place. The one in whom they had hoped has died, and his death was shameful. Accused of encouraging revolt against the government, Jesus was tortured, publicly humiliated and crucified like a most vile criminal. A phrase from the Jewish Scriptures must have haunted them: "Anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse" (Deuteronomy 21.23).

Tributes poured in for former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty who died suddenly April 10 at the age of 64 only three weeks after he had resigned his cabinet portfolio. "We join in offering our thoughts and prayers for the loved ones of Jim Flaherty," said Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins in a statement. "A public servant who gave of his time and talents to serve the country through the noble vocation of elected office, he served our province and country faithfully for many years."

Our beliefs have a profound impact on our lives, said David Bentall, guest speaker at the annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast. "Just like our Olympic athletes whose belief propels them to great heights, what we believe has the power to dramatically change us," he said. God delivered Bentall from bitterness, and enabled him to learn to forgive so he could succeed in business.

FREDERICTON, N.B. – The pro-life movement is claiming victory, a small one but a victory nonetheless, in New Brunswick with the announcement that the Morgentaler abortion clinic in Fredericton will close in July. The announcement came on April 10 with the clinic citing financial difficulties as the main cause for the proposed closure.

Bundled up in tuques and warm coats, several hundred people defied the cold, snowy weather and attempted to take to Edmonton’s inner city streets on Good Friday to commemorate Jesus’ death and pray for an end to injustice. However, organizers decided the streets were too slippery and held the entire procession in the block in front of Hope Mission, Edmonton’s largest emergency shelter, at 9908-106 Ave. Be Not Afraid was the theme of the 34th annual Way of the Cross, which saw people pray at each stop for an end to the injustices and a betterment of the lives of the poor and vulnerable. It was mostly students from Archbishop O’Leary High School who carried the cross from one stop to the next.