Catholic News Service

Pope Francis has chosen the theme and appointed members of the preparatory council for the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon region, which will take place in Rome in October 2019.

Poland's leading Jewish philosopher urged the Catholic Church to condemn a wave of anti-Jewish feeling, sparked by a new law on responsibility for Holocaust crimes.

A federal judge in Maryland has ruled that President Donald Trump acted legally in ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, saying the decision was rational.

The top court in southern India's Kerala state has asked police to investigate allegations of breach of trust involving Cardinal George Alencherry.

Mass isn't a paid arrangement for salvation but rather the commemoration of Christ's sacrifice of his life, given freely to all, Pope Francis said.

Updated March 22 at 12:14 p.m. CDT: The 2,232-page version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2018 bill, or “spending omnibus” bill released late Wednesday night (March 21) does not include provisions of the Conscience Protection Act, for which the U.S. bishops had been lobbying.

The Catholic Church and Catholic agencies that work with migrants and refugees around the world are called to educate, advocate and seek alternative host countries in the face of a growing "refusal to welcome" newcomers, as the Vatican secretary of state defined the situation.

Christians must let go of resentments and forgive those who have wronged them so that they may experience God's forgiveness, said Pope Francis.

A Melbourne court began a month-long hearing to see if a top Vatican official would stand trial on decades-old charges of sexual abuse, which he consistently denied.

Listening, playing and having an afternoon snack, Pope Francis spent time March 2 at a group home for women prisoners with small children.

Pope Francis has decreed that Latin-rite Catholics around the world will mark the feast of "the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church" on the Monday after Pentecost each year.

The fuller participation of women in decision-making in the Catholic Church is a continuing process, Cardinal Kevin Farrell said after the presentation of "A Pope Francis Lexicon."

Two religious communities have withdrawn shareholder resolutions filed with Midwest electric utilities after the companies announced they would publish climate risk assessment reports.

Pope Francis has expressed strong support for the canonization of Fr. Rutilio Grande, the martyred Jesuit who is said to have inspired Blessed Oscar Romero.

An Irish bishop, John McAreavey of Dromore, resigned March 1 after increased criticism over how he dealt with revelations of an abusive priest.

In a Feb. 28 open letter to President Donald Trump and members of Congress, Jesuit Father Michael Sheeran, president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, urged U.S. leaders to listen to the teens who survived the Parkland, Florida, school shooting and help them "fix this" plague of gun violence in our country.

Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden sat at a round table as 16 individuals made their way into the conference room.

Pope Francis named two longtime Vatican officials, Msgr. Alfred Xuereb and Msgr. Jose Bettencourt, as apostolic nuncios and elevated both to the rank of archbishop.

Pope Francis will visit Geneva in June, Andre Simonazzi, spokesman for the Swiss Federal Council, confirmed Feb. 28 

The Catholic bishops of Alaska have released a pastoral letter affirming that all Catholic moral teachings stem from the foundational belief in the dignity and sanctity of every human life.