Catholic News Service

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.

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."