The chief Vatican representative to the United Nations said that pushing population control methods on underdeveloped countries offends human dignity and ultimately proves ineffective in eradicating global poverty.

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The Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations is challenging the erroneous view that human fertility and population growth is something to be feared. Archbishop Francis Chullikatt stated this Tuesday in an address to the 44th Session of the Commission on Population and Development in a meeting on "Fertility, Reproductive Health and Development."

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Low fertility rates and an aging population will present Europe with a big economic challenge. This was one of the points made in a study published by the European Commission at the start of the month. The "Third Demography Report" found that the number of children per woman has increased from 1.45 children, at the time of the last report in 2008, to 1.6. Nonetheless, this is still substantially below the level of 2.1 children that is required to maintain a stable population. In this article, Father John Flynn looks at  the declining fertility trend, and the economic consequences of an aging population.

A powerful aftershock has rocked an area of Japan already reeling from last month's earthquake and tsunami disaster. At least two people were killed and more than were 100 injured, as the nation struggles to recover from the devasting natural disaster of 15 March. Please keep Japan in your prayers.

The world does not need the Church to be a cheerleader for war, which always represents a failure of politics to secure liberty and justice. But what of those occasions when armed force is necessary to secure liberty and justice against a malevolent regime.

Caritas Japan will operate an emergency centre established by Japan's Catholic Bishops in the devastated city of Sendai. At an emergency meeting, Japan's bishops and leading church officials gathered in Sendai and decided a centre to direct humanitarian operations would be one of the best ways to help the stricken city as well as villages and towns throughout the Diocese of Sendai. This area encompasses the worst hit areas from last week's catastrophic 9.0 and subsequent tsunamis which swept away everything in their path.

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The crippled Fukushima plant now rates six on a seven-point international scale of gravity for nuclear accidents.

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Pope Benedict XVI is renewing his spiritual closeness to the people of Japan in the wake of a 9.0 magnitude quake and resulting tsunami that left more than 1,600 dead and some 10,000 missing. The quake struck Japan on Friday some 80 miles off the coast of Sendai, north of Tokyo, and triggered a 32-foot tsunami that swept everything in its path, including houses, infrastructure, ships, cars and farm buildings that were on fire.

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World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid will be an environmentally sustainable event in respect for the earth, thanks to the campaign "100% natural." Part of the work will be carried out by the Spanish company Zeroemissions, which plans to offset the environmental impact of World Youth Day through purchasing carbon credits from five sustainable projects, meant to represent every continent.

An update from the devastating natural disaster in Japan: A nuclear reactor damaged by Friday's earthquake in Japan has overheated and blown up - with radioactivity registered at 1000 times the normal value around the power station. The death toll is high with at least 1,600 dead and 10,000 missing so far, and over 1200 homes destroyed. Relief operations have begun with Japanese and foreign military teams working frantically throughout thecountry.

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