Three years after Paul Ryan and Joseph R. Biden debated as vice presidential candidates, Washington is anxiously waiting for them to make anguishing choices about their futures—whether Mr. Ryan will answer his fractured party’s pleas to serve as speaker and whether Mr. Biden has the emot

8 ways the U.S. church could be strengthened right now

One cannot claim to believe in reincarnation without compromising key tenets of Christian faith.

Erasmo Levia-Merikakis’s three-volume meditation on the gospel of Matthew is an immense resource that has enriched my prayer, my retreat talks and, now, my preaching.

Among practicing Catholics, 90 percent now say they view Pope Francis favorably, up from 83 percent in August, one month before his visit. Among all Americans, the pope's numbers jumped from 58 percent to 74 percent.

If you want to know what it’s like to be a player at the Synod of Bishops and in the extracurricular socializing where much of the work is done, you have to read the blog of Australian Archbishop Mark Coleridge.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and the Anti-Defamation League suggested a racial motive may be at play in fires set at six St. Louis-area churches. In a prepared statement, the ACLU of Missouri’s executive director, Jeffrey Mittman, called the fires “domestic terrorism.”

After checking with the pope himself and other sources, Father Lombardi told reporters "the pope enjoys good health" and that the unsubstantiated news report was "a serious act of irresponsibility, absolutely unjustifiable and unspeakable."

Saying, “I believe we’re out of time” to mount a campaign, Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he would not run for president in 2016.

Synods are not anything new in the church. But is Francis changing how they work?

These reports give some interesting insights into the positions taken by the 270 synod fathers, but they do not tell the whole story as the 13 groups submitted more than 500 amendments that can had a determining impact on the final text.

The wisdom of mystery, of being okay with not knowing, is a lesson always worth remembering.

“The real work of this synod happens in the small group discussions,” and the Holy Spirit has been alive in those discussions, Bishop Murry told America in an interview.

The reforms to the annulment process introduced by Pope Francis serve only to avoid delays in cases where marriages are clearly not valid, two synod fathers said.Cardinal Lluis Martinez Sistach of Barcelona, Spain, and Cardinal Wilfrid F. Napier of Durban, South Africa, told journalists at a Vatican

Weary faces, fussy babies, little boys teasing little girls to the point of tears and repeated uses of the Arabic word, "inshallah" (God willing) reflect the uncertainty faced by refugees trying to reach northern Europe.Thousands of people fleeing Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan pass through t

That cry of “Lazarus, come out” we heard north of our border on the evening of Oct. 19 was the Canadian electorate reviving the fortunes of the long-thought-moribund Liberal Party.

Justin Trudeau promised “sunny ways” in his victory speech and proclaimed, “A positive, optimistic, hopeful vision of public life isn’t a naïve dream—it can be a powerful force for change.”

While church doctrine must stay unchanged, an Australian archbishop expressed his hope that the Synod of Bishops will the lead the church to a genuine pastoral approach using a new language of mercy toward families, particularly those in difficult situations. Speaking at a Vatican news conferen

Pope Francis believes in starting processes that can develop over time, and are not caught in the trap of having to get rapid results or immediate solutions.