Protect Refugee Resettlement
Scroll down to tell your Members of Congress to stand with refugees. As we approach World Refugee Day on June 20, people of faith are called to stand in solidarity with refugees,…
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Human Rights
Upholding human rights enables a society to put people at the center of all policymaking – political, economic and social – thus protecting the life and dignity of the human person whatever its condition or stage of development. In the year 2020, the world entered into the novel coronavirus pandemic, an unprecedented crisis that impacts all aspects of life and presents new threats to upholding human rights.
December 10 is International Human Rights Day. Join us in reciting this prayer by Rabbi Brant Rosen. Explore our Lenten Reflection Guide on human rights.
To understand what our faith teaches about human rights, see “Catholic Social Teaching and Human Rights.”
To learn about Maryknoll mission experience honoring and protecting human rights and the life and dignity of the human person, especially those who are poor and vulnerable, read Maryknoll’s 100 Years of Mission.
To learn about human rights advocacy, watch a 30-minute webinar, “Human Rights Advocacy and the Legacy of Sr. Dianna Ortiz.” You will also find a corresponding page of resources on current human rights issues.
To learn about new threats to human rights, see our articles featured in Maryknoll Magazine:
Upholding Human Rights During the Pandemic
A “David and Goliath” Story of Water Defenders
Joint Statement to Secretary Rubio on Diverting Foreign Assistance Funding for Global Health
Thirty-five international health and humanitarian organizations urge Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reverse a decision to divert $3.2 billion in expiring Fiscal Year 2025 foreign assistance funding away from global health and development programs to cover close-out costs for terminated USAID awards. The NGOs warn that these steep funding cuts would severely undermine global health security and cause millions of preventable illnesses and deaths worldwide, running counter to the Trump administration’s America First Global Health Strategy.
Korea Peace Advocacy Summer
The Korean War has never officially ended. More than 70 years after the armistice went into effect, millions of Korean families remain divided, tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to…
Maryknoll Joint Leadership Statement on Magnifica Humanitas
A unified call from the Maryknoll family to disarm exploitative artificial intelligence, protect vulnerable workers, and preserve human dignity in accordance with Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas.
Pope Leo’s New Encyclical on AI
On May 25, Pope Leo XIV released a groundbreaking new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. Across five chapters, the Holy Father…
Ten Beautiful Quotes in Magnifica Humanitas
Within the many pages of Pope Leo’s encyclical on artificial intelligence, the Holy Father offers a heartfelt apology and beautiful reflections that center the human experience in his call for a global response to the threat of an unregulated digital world. Pope Leo XIV released a new encyclical, or pastoral letter, on May 25, entitled…
Oppose Forced Relocation of Afghan Allies
Scroll down to tell your Members of Congress to oppose the forced relocation of Afghan allies. More than 1,100 Afghan allies and their families remain stranded at Camp As Sayliyah…
Joint Letter Opposing Forced Relocation of Afghan Allies to the DRC
MOGC joins an open letter opposing a potential plan to send Afghan refugees who aided the U.S. war effort to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Resources in NewsNotes May-Jun 2026
Statements, guides, videos, fact sheets and more…
Haiti Deserves to be Free
The worsening humanitarian crisis and shifting U.S. immigration policies threaten to push Haiti further to the brink.
Remaining CDC PEPFAR Programs Face Funding Cliff
As PEPFAR faces funding restrictions under shifting U.S. global health policy, millions of lives are at stake across dozens of countries. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns Program Associate Fellow Mark Joyce reports.
Philippine Bishop Issues Call for ‘Church of the Poor’
In a seven-page pastoral letter, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos in the central Philippines issued a powerful call for the Philippine Catholic Church and its faithful to transition into a “Church of the Poor.”
Joint Statement on US plan to send Cuban migrants to Guantánamo
Maryknoll joins 85 other US and international human rights organizations to urge the U.S. government to reject the plan for a Guantánamo camp for Cuban migrants.
Second Sunday of Easter
Maryknoll Sister Dee Smith reflects on the disciples’ fear, doubt, and guilt after Jesus’ death, emphasizing that their struggles mirror our own moments of uncertainty in living out our faith, and God’s mercy prevails over all. How many of us today can identify with one or another of the disciples hidden away in the upper…
Webinar: Witnessing ‘Neighborism’ amid the U.S. Federal Government Siege of Minnesota
The webinar discussed “Operation Metro Surge,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s historic immigration enforcement action, which brought unprecedented turmoil to Minnesota. As state-sanctioned violence and disregard for basic rights surged, it was met by an unexpected wave of resistance led by, among others, hockey moms, small business owners, and faith leaders. Along the way,…
Bishops Across Americas Name Shared Concerns
Eleven Catholic Bishops from the United States, Canada, and Latin America met in Tampa, Florida, for a biennial gathering aimed at strengthening continental unity.
Praying With Our Feet For Immigrant Rights
A season of holy resistance by faith groups is in full swing in Washington, D.C., against current federal immigration enforcement practices and funding.
Witnessing ‘Neighborism’ amid the Siege of Minnesota
As U.S. federal immigration enforcement turned violent, a civic culture of “neighborism” emerged in the Twin Cities. Greg Darr, Vocations Minister for the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, reports from Minnesota.
