Washington State's new law mandating priests to divulge abuse revealed in confessions is the latest salvo in a larger dispute between the Catholic Church and multiple U.S. states.

Against the backdrop of deep differences with the Trump administration over migration and foreign aid as well as concerns for Ukraine and for Gaza, the Vatican secretary of state welcomed U.S. Vice President JD Vance to the Vatican.

Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, attended the liturgy with his wife, Usha, a practicing Hindu, and his three children after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni earlier in the day.

The further we get from the needs and the lives of the poor, the easier it is to forget that we have duties to them at all.

We need a healthier public square in which people of all backgrounds can work together.

The Vatican press office has said that it has no information to share about Vance’s trip, but if the vice president were to participate in one of the liturgies, it would let people know.