In the wake of a mass shooting that left 12 people dead in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development called for American society to examine why such violent incidents continue to occur.

Thirty years since the Tiananmen Square protests, China's economy has catapulted up the world rankings, yet political repression is harsher than ever.

On May 31, the California state senate passed a bill requiring priests to report anything they heard in the sacrament of confession from priests or colleagues relating to sex abuse. The bill passed with a 30-4 vote, with 4 senators not voting at all. Catholic clergy and survivor groups have clashed on the bill, the clergy against it, survivor groups all for "increased transparency."

Bishop Thomas Tobin sparked a backlash when he tweeted, “A reminder that Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ 'Pride Month' events held in June.”

The report attributed much of the increase to a victim compensation program implemented in five dioceses in New York state.

Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts has said that all members of the Catholic Church are obliged to act in accordance with local civil law on mandatory reporting of sex abuse cases.