According to an Oct. 11 report from the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, children suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of nuns, priests and staffers at orphanages run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The abuse took place over decades, resulting in frequent deaths.

This story appears in the Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action feature series. View the full series.

Contemplate This - Even in the face of such an alarming forecast based on factual data, there are still people who do not accept the reality of climate change. We must acknowledge that we are in service to the future generations of all species and to the planet. These realizations do not come from data alone.

The Life - When we asked them whether sisters should be politically active, the panelists for October all answered with a resounding "yes." As one sister put it, "Attending to the vulnerable is the mission of religious life." And that is, at heart, politics.

This story appears in the Nuns on the Bus feature series. View the full series.

Nuns on the Bus Blog - With a birthday celebration along the way, the bus carries messages for representatives to New Hartford and Kingston, New York, and then meets with refugees and their First Friends in Kearny, New Jersey.

Five Missionaries of Jesus nuns whose September protest led to the jailing of an Indian bishop accused of rape now say they fear for their lives after he was released on bail. Their fear intensified after a priest who testified against Bishop Franco Mulakkal died Oct. 22. "We do not know whether we will be on the face of the earth tomorrow," says Sister Anupama.

The Irish government has approved a forensic excavation of the site of a former state-funded, Catholic-run mother and baby home in the west of the country. Katherine Zappone, minister for children and youth affairs, announced the excavation Oct. 23.