Catholic News Service

After private meetings with Pope Francis, three survivors of clergy sexual abuse from Chile said they felt they had been heard and were hopeful for changes in the way the Catholic Church handles accusations of abuse.

St. Frances Academy in Baltimore has removed the name of its "Drs. Camille and Bill Cosby Community Center" after Bill Cosby was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman. The letters on the building came down the same day.

With widespread concern over corruption and environmental neglect in Ghana, the church has launched a national project to help clean up the country.

The Vatican's financial watchdog agency has reported continued progress in oversight, reporting and cooperation in its efforts to prevent suspected money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Heaven is not an eternally dull existence but rather the completion of a journey toward a promised encounter with the Lord, Pope Francis said.

Restorative justice should be advocated as a key element in criminal justice reform, according to participants at an April 25 conference in Washington sponsored by the Catholic Mobilizing Network.

Pope Francis' planned meeting with abuse survivors from Chile could mark a turning point in how the Catholic Church deals not just with prevention, but especially with how it responds to accusations.

The example of selfless love and humble service set forth by Jesus at the Last Supper is the foundation of the Catholic Church's mission in the world, Pope Francis said.

The bishops' conference of Nicaragua has accepted an invitation to mediate talks aimed at calming the Central American country, which has been roiled by protests.

Catholic groups hailed a decision by a federal judge that said a program that benefits young adults who came into the country without legal permission as minors can still accept new and renewed applications and must maintain protections that prevent those who are enrolled in it from being deported.

In the last case before the U.S. Supreme Court this session, it seemed the majority of justices might uphold President Donald Trump's travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries.

Pope Francis and his international Council of Cardinals have reviewed a complete draft of the apostolic constitution that would govern the Roman Curia, the Vatican spokesman said.

A survivor of clergy sexual abuse in Chile said he hopes his meeting with Pope Francis will be an opportunity to make a difference and bring an end to a culture within the Catholic Church that disparages victims and makes them feel guilty for coming forward.

Pope Francis led thousands of people in St. Peter's Square in prayers for the success of the inter-Korean summit, scheduled for April 27.

The sacrament of baptism isn't a good luck charm but a gift from God that enables Christians to overcome evil, Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience April 25.

Newark Cardinal Joseph Tobin said he worries that reducing the number of immigrants, particularly refugees to the U.S., and demonizing them represents a "hardening of the American heart," and that should be of concern to a country that has been historically a welcoming place.

Tragedy struck an American city April 22 when a gunman fatally shot four innocent people at a Waffle House in Antioch, just outside of Nashville.

Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic Church's worldwide network of humanitarian aid agencies, three German banks and more than 30 other Catholic institutions are planning to divest at least part of their financial portfolios from the fossil fuel industry.

Pope Francis met with the Vatican commission that advises the pope, the Roman Curia, bishops' conferences and local churches on protecting minors from abuse in a private audience April 21 

Pope Francis appointed three women as consultors to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It marks the first time women and laypersons were named as active contributors — not support staff.