World News
Pope thanks Chilean bishops for steps taken to address abuse scandal
Addressed to Bishop Santiago Silva Retamales, the military ordinary and conference president, Pope Francis' letter praised the decisions as "realistic and concrete."
Brazil church leaders speak against decriminalization of abortion
Reiterating the Catholic Church's teaching "in the defense of life from its conception until its natural death," Bishop Ricardo Hoerpes of Rio Grande, Brazil, said that the issue was not for the court to decide.
Indonesia’s Lombok hit by another powerful quake; pope sends prayers
At least 91 people have been confirmed dead after a magnitude-7 earthquake struck Indonesia's Lombok Island on Aug. 5 a week after another powerful quake killed more than a dozen people.
A month after the ‘clean-up,’ a Nicaraguan community mourns three dead
In June people throughout Leon had put up barricades built of paving stones to protest the government of President Daniel Ortega for the violence against protesters since demonstrations erupted in April over reforms to the country's social security system.
U.S. Catholic physician a reluctant hero in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains
A U.S. physician who has won accolades for his service in a war-torn corner of Sudan said he has just done what any missionary is called to do.
Pope prays Blessed Paul VI will intercede for ‘church he loved so much’
On the 40th anniversary of the death of Blessed Paul VI, Pope Francis went into the grotto under St. Peter's Basilica to pray at his predecessor's simple tomb.
Use internet to promote tourism that respects environment, Vatican says
Cardinal Peter Turkson said the "digital transformation" of tourism has the potential for promoting happier and healthier vacations that do more to protect the natural environment and promote authentic encounters between people.
Faith is a relationship, not a set of rules, pope says at Angelus
Doing God's will means first of all believing in Jesus and allowing love for him to translate into love for one's neighbors, Pope Francis said.
Chilean bishops acknowledge failures in handling sexual abuse of minors
Chile's bishops acknowledged they had "failed to fulfill our duty by not listening, believing, attending or accompanying the victims of grave sins" after a five-day meeting to discuss the clergy sexual abuse crisis rocking the country.
Catechism change shows ‘true dogmatic progress,’ archbishop says
Archbishop Fisichella said the pope's revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to assert that capital punishment is inadmissible shows how the church can grow in its understanding of the basic tenents of faith.