Catholic News Service

It was a day to thank God for sending more laborers to gather his harvest, Diocese of Charlotte leaders said as they blessed and formally opened St. Joseph College Seminary.

The National Black Sisters' Conference issued a "clarion warning" to U.S. Catholics saying church members and leaders have not done enough to speak out against the sin of racism.

The director of Greece's Catholic charitable organization said the situation on Lesbos island remains tense after a fire at a refugee camp left at least 12,000 homeless.

Euthanasia legislation is headed for the Spanish Senate and, if passed, it would be a defeat for human dignity and would affirm a self-centered view of life that proposes death as a solution to one's problems, the Spanish bishops' conference said.

Catholic bishops and diocesan tribunals are making steady progress in implementing Pope Francis' reforms to make the annulment process quicker, but it is taking longer to achieve the pope's goal of making the process less expensive for couples.

Support for President Donald Trump and presidential nominee Joe Biden from voters who identify as religious appears to adhere to earlier patterns, a Pew researcher told a Georgetown University panel Sept. 15.

Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki warned that the Synodal Path reform project could lead to a "German national church."

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Sept. 16 that it will hear oral arguments in October cases via teleconference out of precaution during the coronavirus pandemic. Live audio feed will be provided to media, which will stream it to the public.

Pope Francis reminded elderly and ill priests that they need not be afraid of suffering because Christ is always there to help them carry that cross.

The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests and the Catholic Mobilizing Network said they strongly object to an award the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast organizers plan to present to U.S. Attorney General William Barr during the annual breakfast, which is to be livestreamed Sept. 23 from Washington.

Authorities in El Paso, Texas, have apprehended a suspect who is said to have entered the border city's St. Patrick Cathedral Sept. 15 and destroyed an almost 90-year statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Human beings must change their relationship with nature and view it not as an "object for unscrupulous use and abuse" but as a gift they are charged by God to care for and protect, Pope Francis said.

Groups that support immigrants have lodged a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General saying that a nurse has come forward with detailed allegations of mass hysterectomies she said have been performed on immigrant women in detention in a Georgia facility.

Catholic leaders expressed astonishment that a large group of evangelical Christians from the U.S. received visas to come to Israel to help with the grape harvest in West Bank settlements, while Catholic institutions have not been able to obtain Israeli visas for their volunteers and staff members because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With so much conflict, violence and war, the world needs people who are specially prepared to bring Gospel values to social, political and economic situations, Pope Francis said.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit sided Sept. 14 with President Donald Trump's plan to end a particular immigration protection status that would have allowed people from six countries that have suffered disasters to remain in the United States.

Seventy-two civilians were shot during protests that erupted after a video surfaced on social media showing police beating a man, who died of his injuries.

Contemplation and compassion are the necessary components of an integral ecology that ensures both the care of the environment and the common good, Pope Francis said.

Expressing his concern about demonstrations taking place in many countries around the world, Pope Francis appealed for nonviolence, dialogue and the guarantee of civil rights.

Church services and Mass online cannot compare to or replace the in-person participation of the faithful, the head of the Vatican's office for divine worship told the world's bishops.