Catholic News Service

While God's holy church is made up of sinners, it also has its share of hypocrites who love to cry "scandal" to point out the failings of others and make themselves appear pure, Pope Francis said at morning Mass.

MUMBAI, India -- Pope Francis has accepted the request of Indian  Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of raping a nun, to be relieved of his duties during the investigation.

Going to church on Sunday morning is a tradition for most Catholics, but a new trend may be emerging: Sunday-evening Masses.

As revelations of the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by clergy continue in Chile, an archbishop said that the church can no longer ignore the suffering of victims.

Several hundred participants gathered at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul Sept. 14 for a prayer vigil organized by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in response to the ongoing clerical sexual abuse crisis.

Nigeria's bishops advised citizens not to sell their permanent voter cards or their votes for the February general elections.

The Diocese of Brooklyn and an after-school program in New York have settled a case out of court for $27.5 million with four men who say they were sexually abused as boys, between ages 8 and 12, by a man whom the diocese identified as a "volunteer worker."

Pledging to "heal and protect with every bit of the strength God provides us," the U.S. bishops' Administrative Committee Sept. 19 outlined actions to address the abuse crisis, including approving the establishment of a third-party confidential reporting system for claims of any abuse by bishops.

Christians have the teachings and the responsibility to address growing fear of and discrimination against immigrants and refugees, said speakers opening a Vatican-sponsored conference.

Honoring mothers and fathers means being grateful for the gift of life and Christians should never insult anyone's parents, Pope Francis said.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued stricter rules for media who want to cover its annual plenary assembly to be held in Cornwall, Ontario, Sept. 24-28.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, head of the German bishops' conference, admitted that mistakes were made in the German church's handling of sex abuse of minors and said he anticipates change in the church.

In his celebration of Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling Sept. 15, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore said he will be with the Catholics of West Virginia on the journey to "healing and reconciliation."

In celebrating the Diocese of Richmond's first Mass of Atonement for victims of abuse Sept. 14, Bishop Barry Knestout apologized to victims of clergy sexually abuse, likening church leadership to Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees.

Advocates for refugee admissions into the United States decried what one statement called a historically low cap of 30,000 for fiscal year 2019, which begins Oct. 1, and asked Congress to work with the Trump administration to more than double that number.

The Synod of Bishops increasingly should be a structure for listening to the Catholic faithful, demonstrating a local bishop's concern for the entire church and a means of expressing all the bishops' unity with the pope, Pope Francis said.

California's Stanford University will strip the name of 18th-century Franciscan friar, St. Junipero Serra, from some of its properties but keep a street named after him.

Participants in the 14th Eucharistic Congress of the Diocese of Charlotte prayed for reparation and healing in response to new revelations of clergy sexual abuse, sexual misconduct and abuse of power by some church leaders.

The U.S. budgetary cuts to humanitarian aid institutions helping Palestinians could lead to long-term disastrous consequences, said Catholic aid workers in the region.

Inviting presidents of the world's bishops' conference to the Vatican to discuss abuse prevention reflects an understanding that "lovely" words and promises are not enough -- concrete, concerted action by the whole church is needed, said Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta.