World News
Indian Catholic leaders doubt death penalty will deter child rapists
The new law increases the punishment for rape of women to 10 years of imprisonment. Those convicted of gang rape of girls younger than 12 either will be executed or jailed for life. Those convicted of gang rape of girls younger than 16 will be jailed for life.
Pope tells young Jesuits to be courageous, prayerful, creative
The pope met Aug. 1 with about two dozen European Jesuits currently involved in the order's formation process.
Pope revises catechism to say death penalty is ‘inadmissible’
Pope Francis has ordered a revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to assert "the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person" and to commit the church to working toward its abolition worldwide.
Nuba church ‘a sign of hope’ after staying through difficult times
The Nuba Mountains region in southern Sudan is a land the world has largely forgotten, except for the Catholic Church, which for more than three decades has stood with the people as they endured hunger, bombing and neglect.
Women making a difference in Nuba Mountains with Catholic Church’s help
For the past seven years Toma Konyono's voice has been heard throughout the Nuba Mountains on Voice of Peace, a radio station in Gidel sponsored by the Catholic Church.
Bishop: U.K. Supreme Court ruling on withdrawing hydration morally wrong
Britain's highest court has ruled that doctors can withdraw food and fluid from patients who are in a vegetative state or minimally conscious without seeking permission from judges.
Medieval reform proposals can help current abuse crisis, historian says
St. Peter Damian came up with an effective strategy that emphasized the need for public accountability, strict penalties for offenders and their superiors, and the obligation of laypeople to step in when church leaders fail to reform themselves
Idolatry of wealth, beauty demands a costly sacrifice, pope says
Idolatry is a human inclination that spares neither believers nor atheists and deprives people of life and love in exchange for slavery to unfulfilled dreams, Pope Francis said.
Vincentian in Paris leads effort to resettle migrants fleeing danger
As Europe continues to struggle with migrant and refugee arrivals, Catholics in the French capital are heeding Pope Francis' call to come to their aid by providing practical and spiritual help to the newcomers.
The path to holiness isn’t for the lazy, pope tells altar servers
Christ's commandment to love God and neighbor is a path trodden by those who have the desire to become saints, Pope Francis told thousands of altar servers from around the world.