Signs Of the Times

The president’s address offered a sign that the administration has been listening to concerns raised by the bishops and pro-life organizations about abortion funding in any reform legislation.

The bishops of Nigeria blame government inaction for the death of more than 2,000 people during a recent uprising by an extremist Islamic group.

The official lamented that producing urgently needed medicines is no longer driven by traditional medical ethics, but by money.

For the first time in the history of the church in China, a Catholic seminary on the mainland is offering a program to train pastoral workers and catechists.

On the eve of the opening of the 64th General Assembly, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan said the U.N. should embrace the notion of “the human person as the heart of all institutions.”

Israeli riot police evicted two Palestinian families—more than 50 people in all—from their homes in an Arab neighborhood on Aug. 2

Protesters opposed to the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya have reportedly been jailed, beaten and raped by the country’s security forces.

Leaders representing 59,000 women religious are questioning what they call a lack of full disclosure about what is motivating the Vatican’s visitation.

The Missionaries of Charity have launched a year of programs celebrating the centennial in 2010 of the birth of Blessed Mother Teresa, the order’s founder.

Catholic presence in Afghanistan is limited to aid workers. Preaching Christianity is strictly forbidden.