Church workers in Pakistan are concerned over the government’s decision to allow militants to enforce Islamic law in the pro-Taliban controlled North-West Frontier province. The government, in an attempt to bring about peace and order, agreed on Feb. 16 to allow Taliban leaders to enforce Shar

Hard work, solidarity and other ethical values must be part of the world’s response to the global economic crisis, said Pope Benedict XVI and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The pope and prime minister met Feb. 19 at the Vatican, and their 35-minute conversation focused on the economic cr

The Vatican has labeled “blasphemous” a satire of Christianity on an Israeli television network that included joking suggestions that Mary was impregnated by a school friend at the age of 15 and that Jesus died at a young age because he was fat. A Vatican statement on Feb. 20 said the pr

Wage theft robs workers of pay they deservedly earned, but also robs the government of about $18 billion a year in revenue according to Kim Bobo, executive director of the Interfaith Worker Justice organization. Speaking at a labor luncheon on Feb. 21 in Washington, D.C., Bobo cited several examples

President Barack Obama called Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan on Feb. 23 to congratulate the Milwaukee archbishop on his appointment as head of the New York Archdiocese. Pope Benedict named Dolan as successor to Cardinal Edward Egan on Feb. 23. • With parliamentary elections scheduled for April 22,

Bishop-designate Gerhard Wagner has asked Pope Benedict XVI to withdraw his nomination as auxiliary bishop of Linz, in the face of fierce criticism. The uproar stemmed mainly from comments Wagner made implying that Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was a punishment from God for sins committed in New Orlean