World News
Pope names 15 new cardinal electors, most from global South
Pope Francis' selections of cardinals emphasize Africa and Asia, where the church is growing fastest, and his native Latin America, home to about 40 percent of the world's Catholics. No U.S. bishops will be made cardinals in the February consistory.
New year is good time to examine conscience, pope says
The end of one calendar year and the beginning of another is the perfect occasion to reflect on how well people have used the time and gifts God has given them -- especially in service to the poor, Pope Francis said.
German bishops think sacraments should be OK for divorced, remarried
Germany's Catholic bishops have published a report detailing their views on marriage and family, suggesting most bishops believe sacraments should be available to divorced and remarried Catholics who do not have an annulment.
Pope: True charity takes compassion that does not demand conversion
"Quality of life" proponents who think the gravely ill lead lives not worth living are peddling a great lie, Pope Francis said in a message for the 2015 World Day of the Sick.
Vatican honors murdered missionaries, kidnapped priests, Ebola victims
In addition to its annual report on church workers murdered during the year, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples highlighted the sacrifice of pastoral workers who died of Ebola contracted while caring for others and reminded Catholics that the fates of five kidnapped priests remain unknown.
Embrace, be amazed by God’s great gift of children, pope says
Becoming a mother or father is a gift from God, but women and men have a duty to embrace that gift and be astonished by its beauty, Pope Francis said.
Indian cardinal criticizes forced ‘reconversions’ to Hinduism
The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India criticized forced conversions of Christians to Hinduism.
Vatican jail cells house protesters at Christmas
The jail cells in the Vatican police barracks were busy over the Christmas holidays.
Man who tried to kill John Paul II takes flowers to his tomb
Exactly 31 years after St. John Paul II personally forgave him for shooting and trying to assassinate him, Mehmet Ali Agca returned to the Vatican with a bunch of white roses and laid them at the late pope's tomb.
Pope urges people to hear the cry of suffering children
With thousands of children looking at the Vatican's Nativity scene and receiving the pope's blessing with their parents Christmas morning, Pope Francis' strongest words were about less-fortunate children.