Obama directive on transgender access to facilities ‘deeply disturbing’

"The guidance contradicts a basic understanding of human formation so well expressed by Pope Francis: that 'the young need to be helped to accept their own body as it was created.'"

International participation high at Italian March for Life

The estimated 30,000 people walked through the historic center of the city and joined Pope Francis for the midday recitation of the "Regina Coeli" prayer in St. Peter's Square.

Russia’s Catholic, Orthodox to rebuild church buildings in Syria

Msgr. Igor Kovalevsky, secretary-general of the Russian bishops' conference, said the project should be viewed as the "first concrete outcome" of Pope Francis' meeting in Cuba with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.

What does the ‘internal forum’ have to do with divorced Catholics?

Father Ken Doyle explains to a reader what Pope Francis means by the private conversations of a priest with remarried Catholics on their full participation in church life, especially with reception of Communion.

Speaker lays out Catholic environmental world view

At an Earth Day conference last week in Philadelphia, the head of Penn's Newman Center said Pope Francis' invitation to care for creation is "a call for a change of heart and a change of culture."

Earth Day to be observed in ‘Catholic style’

A local focus on the importance of caring for creation and human life created in God's image will precede next week's Earth Day by studying environmental concerns in Pope Francis' encyclical, "Laudato Si."

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, leads us home to the Father

Msgr. Joseph Prior explains the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter by recalling the Year of Mercy and Pope Francis' words, “Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.”

Struggling families should feel embrace of the church, observers say

Catholic leaders in the United States saw Pope Francis' new document on the family as a "love letter to families" as well as a "raw appreciation for how bad the situation can be on the ground."

Cardinal Schonborn: Family doc doesn’t change doctrine

Pope Francis' new document on the family is an "organic development" of church teaching with "true innovations, but no break" in tradition, said a participant in recent synods of bishops that dealt with the topic.

Papal document digs into the nitty gritty of family life

In "Amoris Laetitia," Pope Francis writes of the passion and devotion of family life, but also heartache and sweat. Commitment to another person "involves a bold gamble," he wrote. But the payoff is huge.