Catholic News Service

Christians who do not really listen to the word of God and are only concerned with outward appearances are corrupt and idolatrous, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis announced a special gathering of the Synod of Bishops to focus on evangelization and the connection between faith and environmental concern in the Amazon region.

Like the Catholic Church's newest saints, Christians are called to live their faith as a love story with God, Pope Francis said.

The death penalty, no matter how it is carried out, "is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel," Pope Francis said.

It makes no sense to lament the problems of hunger and forced migration if one is unwilling to address their root causes, which are conflict and climate change, Pope Francis said.

A Vatican court found the former president of the Vatican-owned pediatric hospital guilty of abuse of office for misusing donations belonging to the hospital's foundation.

Canadian authorities did not request the extradition of a Vatican diplomat who has been charged by police in Canada of accessing, possessing and distributing child pornography.

The leaders of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting said they "accept and work with the new membership policy of the Boy Scouts of America" to admit girls.

As the church marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, promoting it as a means of teaching the truth about faith remains a challenge and a priority.  

No matter how much suffering Christians face in the world, God never forgets those who trust in and serve him, Pope Francis told leaders of Eastern Catholic churches.

The Diocese of Santa Rosa "has been hit hard" and "is in an ongoing state of uncertainty" because of Northern California wildfires that began the night of Oct. 8, said Bishop Robert F. Vasa.

Pope Francis' @Pontifex Twitter accounts reached more than 40 million followers just a few months before the fifth anniversary of when Pope Benedict XVI launched the initiative.

Christians are never pessimistic, resigned or weak, thinking life is an unstoppable train careening out of control, Pope Francis said.

In many parts of the world women and girls to bear the burden of carrying out everyday chores for their families and communities, keeping many of them from getting even a basic education,  says the Vatican's United Nations nuncio.

The top leaders of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference and chair of the church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council met with Vatican officials to discuss issues emerging from national investigations into the abuse of minors.

Students in the Diocese of Charleston are trying to help victims of the three massive hurricanes that unleashed their fury on the U.S. mainland and islands in the Caribbean.

A Spanish cardinal defended his country's unity as a "moral good" and condemned "sedition and fraud" by secessionists, as politicians in Catalonia prepared to debate independence.

The Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law is an instrument that must serve the church's pastoral mission of bringing God's mercy to all and leading them to salvation, Pope Francis said.

The Legionaries of Christ pledged its ongoing commitment to renewal and reform as it released information about a former rector who has publicly acknowledged being the father of two children.

The Trump administration Oct. 6 issued interim rules expanding the exemption to the contraceptive mandate for religious employers, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor.