Many years ago I toured St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. I can recall climbing up to the top of the cupola and going outside on the balcony from which there is a marvelous view. As I stood there, I reflected on how impenetrable this wall was and couldn't help making the connection to how difficult it was to communicate with many of our bishops and cardinals about critical issues.

Domestic violence remains widespread in Vietnam's patriarchal society where men give themselves rights to make decisions on all things in their families and treat their spouses as inferiors. There is little government assistance for this problem, so Catholic sisters are usually the only ones offering services and relief to women and their children who are abused.

"Today the church is no more the church of the poor, but one can even say it is the church of institutions," said Presentation Sister Shalini Mulackal, president of Indian Theological Association.

World leaders gathered Friday, April 22 at the United Nations to sign the landmark Paris Agreement that environmental activists and advocates, including Catholic sisters, hope can be a catalyst in reversing the effects of climate change.

It was the rainy season in Ecuador, and that meant heat, bugs, and lots of standing water. The dirt roads in our little town flooded to varying degrees from about January to April. Sometimes, cane houses fell down as the ground softened.

GSR Today - Readers like you help Global Sisters Report achieve its mission: to serve as a forum that focuses on the social justice mission of Catholic women religious and explores theology, spirituality, identity, community and other aspects of consecrated life.

See for Yourself - In today's world of "political correctness," sometimes a rainbow is just a rainbow, but it's a shame that something as simple as an umbrella can alter a friendship for good.

On Earth Day the sun seems to shine brighter. The songs of the finch, meadowlark and red winged black bird ring more boldly upon the air. All creation seems to celebrate Earth Day. But, Earth Day this year seems different. The joyful rays and songs are still there, however, they feel tempered. A bittersweetness rests upon my heart.

Founded in France in 1973 by two married couples, the Community of the Beatitudes has three branches, for brothers, sisters and the laity. Its members share a common vocation of prayer and fraternal communion, combining a marked contemplative dimension with numerous apostolic and missionary activities in places such as parishes, hospitals, Marian sanctuaries, and retreat centers.

"People can feel isolated and alone dealing with the big picture. . . . See this work as a great project of healing our relations with other living beings, with one another for the sake of future generations and to see us doing that together as communities."