Remarkably, the death sentences are being pushed through this month in an effort to beat the May expiration date for the state’s supply of midazolam, a controversial sedative that is one of three drugs used in lethal injections.

It is the third Holy Thursday that Francis has spent at a detention center, part of his longstanding emphasis on ministering to prisoners.

Only theology professors were found ineligible to join the union.

The "Lavanderia di Papa Francesco" ("Pope Francis Laundry") is a free service "offered to the poorest people."

The rise of "zombie Catholics" in French politics may indicate a renewed energy in the French church.

Without a faith dimension, ideological and political notions of development will fail, even if they have some initial success, Cardinal Gerhard Muller said.