In recent years, the public voice of the Catholic Church has been limited to the pro-life cause, defined as overturning and resisting the laws that make abortions legal, writes NCR columnist María Teresa (MT) Dávila, an associate professor of Practice, Religious and Theological Studies at Merrimack College.

With the presidential election looming closer, Dávila says we are challenged to "face the fact that the pro-life position, as articulated and defended for years, has had disastrous consequences for the fullness of the Catholic vision of the common good in the public square."

"For decades, focus on the right to life of the unborn has shaped the public and political will of many Christians," she writes. "Undoubtedly, the number of abortions carried out any year is a staggering and painful reminder that we continue to be deeply immersed in a 'culture of death.' "

"But this hyper focus, paired with the political manipulation of the issue, draws a false line in the sand and creates a litmus test for the role of people of faith in the public square that obscures the multiple ways in which we participate in a culture of death," she continues.  

Francis visited Mozambique from Sept. 4-6, 2019, making the trip largely to praise a landmark agreement between the country's ruling party and opposition group Renamo that ended decades of conflict.

The current conflict in the Cabo Delgado province, on the country's northern border with Tanzania, is raging on without resolution. Many are concerned that President Filipe Nyusi, who is widely seen as an autocratic and corrupt ruler, will be unable to end it.