World News
Pope sends prayers, condolences after Papua New Guinea quake
The magnitude 7.5 quake severed communications and blocked roads in the country's central region, hindering assessment of the scale of the destruction.
Catholics must counteract ‘refusal to welcome’ migrants, speakers say
At a time when migrants and refugees are fleeing increasingly "terrible experiences" and encountering violence and abuse on their journeys, Catholics feel a particular responsibility to welcome the stranger, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said.
Bishop asks federal government to work for rescue of kidnapped girls
Bishop Hilary Dachelem of Bauchi has appealed to the Nigerian government and security agencies to work for the rescue of the 110 schoolgirls kidnapped by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in February.
Blessed Paul VI to be canonized at close of synod, cardinal says
Cardinal Parolin confirmed to reporters that the canonization will take place at the end of the synod, which is scheduled for Oct. 3-28. Pope Paul revived the synod after the Second Vatican Council.
Explosive devices detonated in Mexican border churches
The bishop of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, has expressed alarm after two church explosions within four days.
Syriac Orthodox patriarch criticizes WCC portrayal of Syrian situation
The patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church denounced a statement issued by the head of the World Council of Churches regarding the situation in Syria, in particular the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.
Meeting nurses, pope pays tribute to one who saved his life
Pope Francis used a meeting with thousands of Italian nurses to pay tribute to a nurse he believes saved his life by arguing with his doctors that he needed more aggressive antibiotics to treat a lung infection.
Claims of heresy over ‘Amoris Laetitia’ are out of place, cardinal says
"A heresy is a tenacious disagreement with formal dogma. The doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage has not been called into question on Pope Francis' part," said German Cardinal Walter Kasper.
Vatican official warns U.N. of hostility toward religion
As the world has grown increasingly interconnected, some nations have seen religious pluralism as a threat and reacted either by failing to protect religious minorities or by trying to marginalize all believers.
Melbourne court to decide if cardinal stands trial on abuse allegations
Australian Cardinal George Pell, head of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy, appeared in court March 5 for a committal hearing at which up to 50 witnesses could be called, mostly in private.