The Supreme Court said a Lutheran preschool should not be excluded from a state grant program to refurbish its playground surface just because it is a religious entity.

The Vatican expressed "grave concern" on Monday for a Chinese bishop who it says was "forcibly removed" from his office several weeks ago and whose whereabouts are unknown.

More than a dozen leaders lined up shoulder-to-shoulder in a unified front to defend a broad array of domestic and international aid programs that, they argued, sustain life.

Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos had said the pontiff promised him he would visit Colombia if the government and the rebel group signed a peace agreement.

Retired Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco, who led the Northern California archdiocese for 18 years, died on June 22 after a long illness. He was 88.

"For me, the stories have always been about how we should live, who we are, and have a lot to do with love, trust and betrayal," Scorsese said.