Pope Francis, by visiting a Shia majority country, completes his pastoral embrace of the Islamic world, begun two years ago with his trip to Abu Dhabi when he met with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb.

Recent statements from the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the U.S. bishops’ conference say Catholics should not take the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine if other options are available. But some Catholic ethicists and theologians say such messages are unhelpful in the face of this ongoing crisis.

He was a priest who argued that the Catholic Church was fundamentally racist, all the while remaining a faithful member of it.

The archdiocese insists the decision is informed by guidance from the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, although those institutions have not yet issued statements discouraging use of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

A consortium of Catholic foundations is using its collective giving-power to push for stronger safeguarding measures aimed at protecting children and vulnerable adults from sexual abuse, misconduct and harassment.

The carnage unleashed in the Persian Gulf compelled me to act yet again in hopes that somehow the bloodletting would end.

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI marked the eighth anniversary of his resignation by insisting he stepped down knowingly and that “there is only one pope”—Francis.

Infectious disease experts are expressing concern about Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Iraq, given a sharp rise in coronavirus infections there, a fragile health care system and the unavoidable likelihood that Iraqis will crowd to see him.

Here is a little story about how I left the church, sort of, and then came slouching back home, more or less.

In a book on the health of the popes, Francis discusses his own health history and says he is now in good health for his age.