In an extraordinary gesture for the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has extended to priests worldwide the authority to absolve women for the sin of abortion and has decreed the full validity during the year of the sacrament of confession celebrated by priests of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X.

Pope Francis has declared Sept. 1 The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

Teachers should try to understand the complicated cognitive development of their students.

The Center for the Study of World Religions is a small but richly diverse community.

Pope Francis held a "virtual town hall" with Catholics in Chicago, Los Angeles and McAllen, Texas, in advance of his Sept. 22-27 visit to the United States.

Federal agencies are racing to catch up with the structure of today’s labor market.

Pope Francis held a "virtual town hall" with Catholics in Chicago, Los Angeles and McAllen, Texas, in advance of his Sept. 22-27 visit to the United States.The town hall was arranged by ABC News, which was to air portions of the meeting during its "World News Tonight" program Aug

Eleven cardinals, at least four of whom will participate in the world Synod of Bishops on the family in October, have urged fellow church leaders to maintain the church's rules regarding marriage and strengthen Catholic education about marriage and family life.

"Today as well, in the Middle East and other parts of the world, Christians are persecuted," Pope Francus said. "There are more martyrs [today] than there were in the first centuries" of Christianity."

The outside world is not what "makes us saints or not saints, rather it is the heart that expresses our intentions, our choices and the desire to do everything for God's love," Pope Francis said before praying the Angelus Aug. 30.

“Show Me a Hero” reminds us that sometimes government can help push us forward, even if the motives our leaders are not always so noble.

At his blog Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York comments upon what to look for in Pope Francis 39 s visit One temptation we all face is to presume that the Pope will come with a mainly worldly message nbsp Thus many wonder what he rsquo ll say to the president to the congress

Fred Kammer, S.J., is a lawyer who directs the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans. A New Orleans native, he was former Jesuit provincial superior in that city when Hurricane Katrina struck.

All of us, in one way or another, are in some sense culpable. For we have allowed and still allow the hateful racist menace to grow up in our midst.

President Otto Perez Molina said that he would not resign and would remain in office.

Even with huge amount of international outpouring of concern and grief, the Chiboke girls are still missing, with little or no hope for their return.

"We don't even know what state they are in, and it is painful."

Vatican nuncio to the Dominican Republic was accused of abusing adolescent boys

This is the twenty-fourth entry in the Bible Junkies Online Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles This entry deals with the apostles Peter and John taking up Philip rsquo s mission to Samaria and Simon the magician offering money for the Holy Spirit For previous entries please now go to the Compl