Sally Blount will lead the agency during a time of economic turmoil that some economists predict could rival the Great Depression.

Before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Christians numbered around 1.5 million, but sectarian attacks on churches in Baghdad and other areas soon followed, and the population either headed north or left the country altogether.

Catherine is a model of contemplation in action, no doubt. But for many, the biography of her life has overshadowed her writings.

“The Lord speaks in the sacred Scriptures,” some might say. “There, you hear the voice of the shepherd.” This is good, but it is just not good enough.

Fra’ Giacomo led the 1,000-year-old sovereign order following an institutional crisis that caused deep internal fractures and a confrontation with the Holy See.

On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” America’s Rome correspondent Gerard O’Connell explains what negotiations are happening between the bishops and the Italian government.