Catholic News Service

"If I want the Lord to listen to what I am asking him, I have to go, and go and go — knock on the door and knock on God's heart," the pope said in his homily March 15 at morning Mass.

A priest who served a number of parishes in Brooklyn and moved back to Colombia four years ago to retire was brutally murdered there March 10.

On the day that marked the fifth anniversary of the election of a pope who has called on others to "build bridges, not walls," the president of the United States toured Southern California to look at prototypes for a wall he promised to build on the border with Mexico.

Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who said he did not believe in God, was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and fostered a fruitful dialogue between science and faith.

Forgiving those who have caused pain or offense is not easy, Pope Francis said.

Suspected Hindu extremists demolished the wall of a Catholic mission hospital and manhandled staff, including nuns, in an considered a hotbed of anti-Christian violence in central India.

A new Israeli law that allows the government to revoke the permanent residency status of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem is contrary to international law, said the director of a Catholic legal aid center.

A Catholic bishop in the Central African Republic accused U.N. peacekeeping troops of sexual abuse in his diocese and warned they could be guilty of crimes against humanity.

Harry Boyte sees democracy in crisis, but he's hopeful that's about to change.

Pope's quotes: In his formal documents, many speeches and unscripted morning homilies the past five years, Pope Francis has given the church plenty of "food for thought" on many issues of great importance.

Francis at Five Years: Bringing a background in literary themes and devices with him to the papacy five years ago, Pope Francis has shown himself to be a master of metaphor and allegory.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI defended the continuity of the church's teaching under his successor and dismissed those who criticize the pope's theological foundations.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Community of Sant'Egidio's founding, Pope Francis urged its members to continue to safeguard the poor, the elderly, the young and the excluded.

Cardinal Karl Lehmann, longtime president of the German bishops' conference and a respected theologian who participated in the Second Vatican Council, died March 11.

"These people must fish and hunt to survive, and their activities are small-scale and sustainable," says Bishop David Martínez. Protecting the Amazon "must include the survival of its peoples."

God's love is never lacking, despite people's sins and rejection of his presence in their lives, Pope Francis said at a Lenten penance service.

A good confessor is a good listener, Pope Francis said.

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis will make a four-day trip to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in September.

The Vatican will host a fast-paced gathering of students, developers and entrepreneurs from around the world that aims to find high-tech solutions for complex global issues.

While most consider Christian persecution severe or somewhat severe, U.S. Catholics are least worried about Christian persecution compared to other global issues.