Kevin Spinale, S.J., the moderator of the Catholic Book Club, led discussions of two very different books this spring and summer. The first, 'Catholic Modern,' by James Chappel, is a heady look at how the church remade itself at a time of social and political upheaval. The second, 'Say Nothing,' by Patrick Radden Keefe, is a gripping account of some of the key players in the period in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles.

The Spanish dictator's preserved body will be flown Thursday by helicopter to the Franco family's private chapel in the Mingorrubio cemetery.

This book, the story of a Czech priest working under communist oppression, constitutes a profound reflection on the 1989 collapse of communism and the liberation of the Czech people.

“These options are in no way Christian: to anonymously scatter ashes in nature, air or water; to install an urn in a private home or apartment; to bury remains in a private garden; or to divide ashes into multiple ‘remembrance objects,’” the bishops wrote, also criticizing the trend to convert loved ones’ ashes into jewelry.

"The synodal way is a 'sui generis' process, and not a synod or a particular council, and there'll be no separate German process, without Rome, on questions touching the universal church.

The Vatican gendarmerie has sent an order to all personnel within the Vatican City State and the Swiss Guards that control the security and all access to the Vatican, saying the five have been “suspended from service as a precautionary measure.”