World News
All hands on deck: Franciscan idea can expand church leadership pool
In early April, the ministers general of four men's branches of the Franciscan family asked Pope Francis to give the Franciscans the "privilege" of allowing religious brothers to be elected to leadership positions, including those with authority over ordained priests.
Pope to canonize two Fatima seers May 13; child martyrs in fall
Pope Francis will declare the sainthood of Blessed Jacinta Marto and Blessed Francisco Marto, two of the shepherd children who saw Mary in Fatima, Portugal, during his visit to the site of the apparitions.
Vatican says it would welcome visit by Trump
If U.S. President Donald Trump requests a meeting with Pope Francis in May, the Vatican will try to make it work, a top Vatican official said.
With influx of migrants, some Germans think their concerns are ignored
Germany has received more than 1.1 million refugees since 2015. With a sharp rise in violence and terror attacks in the months following the Berlin Christmas Market terrorist attack, the atmosphere in Germany has become volatile.
Al-Azhar peace conference invites Christian leaders of East, West
Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople was scheduled to attend a peace conference in Cairo with Pope Francis and Sheik Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar University.
Closed hearts unable to be surprised by the Resurrection, pope says
"A closed heart, a rationalistic heart" is incapable of understanding the Christian message which has God's love -- manifested in Christ's victory over death -- at its center, the pope said at his weekly general audience April 19.
Arsonists attempt to set fire to cathedral in Nepal’s capital
Arsonists attempted to set fire to Assumption Cathedral, the first public Catholic worship place in Hindu-majority Nepal.
Fatima at 100: Story of apparitions continues to attract attention
While conversion and prayer are at the heart of Mary's messages at Fatima, Portugal, the miracles and unexplained phenomenon that accompanied the events 100 years ago continue to intrigue believers and nonbelievers alike.
How the church determines a true Marian apparition
When it comes to Marian apparitions, the Catholic Church prudently focuses more on the message than the miracle. in the past century, fewer than 20 cases have received church approval out of 1,500 reports of visions.
Retired Pope Benedict toasts 90th birthday with friends, beer, pretzels
Visitors, including his 93-year-old brother, brought a bit of Bavaria to Benedict at the Vatican. "There have been trying and difficult times," Pope Benedict said, "but (God) always guided me and pulled me through."