Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France, is pictured before the start of Pope Francis' general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 26. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

French election is “democracy gone mad,” says French cardinal

by Jonathan Luxmoore - OSV News April 27, 2017

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen will face off on May 7, when voters will choose who will be the French president for the next five years.

Bishop Gianfranco Todisco requested an early retirement, saying he wanted to return to missionary work. Screenshot from YouTube

Faith, News

Why one Italian bishop is answering pope’s call to evangelize abroad

by Josephine McKenna - Religion News Service April 25, 2017

Bishop Gianfranco Todisco said he wrote to the pope last year saying he wanted to return to his work as a missionary.

No fun allowed? The northbound Bakerloo line platform at Edgware Road

Dispatches, Politics & Society

Mind the rap? London’s Bakerloo Line gets rave review

by David Stewart April 20, 2017

The London police have issued a statement asking “D.J.s to refrain from using the Tube as a pop-up club.”

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, with lawmaker Angus Robertson an SNP member of the UK Parliament, speak to the media outside the Palace of Westminster in London, Wednesday, April 19, 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday called for a snap June 8 general election, seeking to strengthen her hand in European Union exit talks and tighten her grip on a fractious Conservative Party. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

News, Politics & Society

Back to the ballot box: UK lawmakers back June 8 election

by Jill Lawless - Associated Press April 19, 2017

British voters will be heading to polling stations for the third time since 2015, after lawmakers overwhelmingly backed Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for a snap election on June 8.

A man reads a newspaper with images of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a map showing the results of Sunday referendum, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Monday, April 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul)

News, Politics & Society

Turkey’s opposition party and international observers question election results

by Elena Becatoros - Associated Press and Susan Fraser - Associated Press April 17, 2017

International observers who monitored the voting found irregularities, saying the conduct of Sunday’s referendum “fell short” of international standards.

John_Constable_-_Hadleigh_Castle_-_Google_Art_Project

Arts & Culture, Books

Critic, curator, broadcaster and scoundrel: the man behind the epic documentary “Civilisation”

by Robert E. Hosmer Jr. April 17, 2017

Robert Hosmer reviews “Kenneth Clark: Life, Art and Civilization” by James Stourton.

Podcasts, Politics & Society

Why is a Catholic resurgence in France happening now?

by The Editors April 12, 2017

On this episode of “America This Week,” hosts Kerry Weber and Matt Malone, S.J., are joined by associate editor Robert David Sullivan. They discuss new data suggesting President Trump did not win the Catholic vote in the November election, before moving on to the upcoming French election, and signs of a Catholic revival in France. […]