World News
Maternity leave: Why the pope wants the church to be a loving mother
A number of feast days over the Advent and Christmas seasons gave Pope Francis a fresh opportunity to pay homage to the world's mothers and insist further on how and why he wants the entire church to become more maternal.
Bishop says Turkish Catholics fearful, but government supportive
"Although we can move around freely, people are understandably afraid of coming to Mass and there's been a drop in participation," said Bishop Ruben Tierrablanca Gonzalez, apostolic vicar of Istanbul.
Syrians who never thought they’d need help turn to Caritas in Lebanon
"When the terrorists came, it seemed they wanted to push the Christians out (of Syria). Before, we were living happily. We never expected we'd have to leave like we did."
Hope, not optimism, is needed to rebuild, pope tells quake survivors
Along the difficult path of rebuilding their lives, survivors of the earthquake that devastated central Italy must also rebuild their hearts with a strong foundation built on hope, Pope Francis said.
Fix overcrowded prisons unfit for human life, pope says
In the wake of a deadly riot in a Brazilian jail, Pope Francis called for all prisons to offer dignified living conditions and be places for true rehabilitation.
When a mother loses a child, reach out with tears, not words, pope says
When people are hurting, "it is necessary to share in their desperation. In order to dry the tears from the face of those who suffer, we must join our weeping with theirs. This is the only way our words may truly be able to offer a bit of hope," he said.
Catholic leaders in Congo welcome church-mediated accord
Kabila will step down as Congolese president after elections are held before the end of 2017, under an agreement by the government and the opposition.
Pope to bishops: Defend children from abuse, protect their dignity, joy
Wake up to what is happening to so many of today's innocents and be moved by their plight and the cries of their mothers to do everything to protect life, helping it "be born and grow," he said in a letter sent to bishops commemorating the feast of the Holy Innocents.
New Year calls for courage, hope; no more hatred, selfishness, pope says
Whether the new year will be good or not depends on us choosing to do good each day, Pope Francis said.
Church in Kerala state forms support group for transgender people
Formed in Cochin under the aegis of Pro-Life Support, a global social service movement within the church, the ministry is significant as it is one of the few outreach programs for the transgender community by the institutional church in India.