Recalling Jesus' death on the cross, Pope Francis led thousands on Good Friday in reflecting on the crosses of loneliness, fear and betrayal that crucify countless men, women and children in the world. In the annual Way of the Cross in Rome's Colosseum April 19, the meditation for each station reflected the suffering and pain of people exploited and marginalized.

Would the world be a better place if women had more say about the global economy? It's a question posed regularly when sisters and representatives of nongovernmental organizations gather at the United Nations and discuss how best to tackle the challenges of global poverty and gender inequality, such as during the recent meetings of U.N.'s Commission for Social Development and Commission on the Status of Women.

GSR Today - What began as an effort by National Catholic Reporter to write more stories about Catholic women religious is now an award-winning publication that has had more than 1.8 million visitors since its launch and an average of 60,000 monthly readers. 

Amid habitat loss and diminishing biodiversity, I'm watching a new species evolve in a curious new habitat: the birds of Home Depot. Why does my heart ache when I hear them calling from the plastic shelves of paradise?  

Global Sisters Report is 5 years old! To celebrate our anniversary, we've selected 25 of our most memorable stories, blogs and columns into a slideshow. We're mindful that each one reflects the decision by women to answer God's call in a particular way, to live as Catholic women religious in a prayer life, a shared life and a vowed life.

This Palm Sunday, true to form, my attention drifted as the Passion was proclaimed. However, as the narrator recounted Jesus' return to his dozing disciples after a period of intense prayer, my ears perked up at a line I'd never noticed before: "He found them sleeping from grief."

The sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Los Angeles carry on the spirit of founder Bishop de la Motte, who began the congregation in Vietnam some 350 years ago. Today, their California ministries focus on helping the poor and suffering, especially women and children, and faith formation in areas that include some of the largest concentrations of Vietnamese and Hispanic populations in the U.S.

My experience with the "People of Faith Root Causes Pilgrimage to Honduras" delegation was memorable. One plea from groups and individuals was that we persuade our government not to send aid to Honduras because it is used by the government, its army and police forces to oppress the people. They said that the ordinary poor people, 60% of the population, never see aid from the U.S.

Countless women and girls are being "crucified" by human traffickers, who trick them into slave labor or prostitution, and by those who seek out their services and exploit them, said the missionary nun who wrote the meditations for Pope Francis' Way of the Cross service.

Notes from the Field - My favorite work at Missouri Health Care for All is collecting stories. I interview people, draft their stories, and then post them online. The stories can further expose the human impact of our health care crisis.