The Philadelphia guidelines say Catholics in same-sex partnerships, civilly remarried parishioners and unmarried couples living together should not be permitted to serve on parish councils, instruct the faithful, serve as lectors or dispense Communion.

Pope Francis expressed his "deepest sympathy and compassion" as well as his closeness to the Solomons in his prayers "for the young man who died so tragically."

Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and prolific author who died on July 2 at age 87 in his New York home, has been remembered in tributes from around the world for standing up for human dignity and for being a witness to the world of the atrocities of the Holocaust.When P

"As foundress, Mother Rosemae was considered by her community as the rock of foundation and revered for her many gifts, especially her intense and abiding love of the church, her maternal wisdom and perception and her attentive love for individuals and each one's particular needs."

In the midst of controversial court cases and their reverberations in Mississippi, Bishop Kopacz says: "People of faith are called to be active in the political process — to protect the dignity of each human being and to make our communities stronger overall."

The Council gathered to plan for greater integration of young, Hispanic Catholics in the Church, as well as for upcoming, nationwide encounter called V Encuentro