Belgium is embroiled in a religious freedom controversy after the new head of the country’s Roman Catholic Church demanded that church-run hospitals and nursing homes have the right to refuse to euthanize their patients. Euthanasia for terminally ill adults was legalized in Belgium in 2002 and

The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 12 said the state of Florida’s death penalty system is unconstitutional because it allows judges, rather than juries, to determine whether a convicted criminal should be given a death sentence. Michael B. Sheedy, executive director of the Florida Conference of Ca

With North Korea leading the way and Islamic extremism rapidly expanding, 2015 was the “worst year in modern history for Christian persecution,” according to Open Doors’ 2016 World Watch List, a ranking of the 50 most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. Iraq was r

“We are especially disturbed by reports of immigration officials forcibly entering residences in Georgia and Texas over the last several days to conduct invasive searches and round ups of Central American asylum seekers, including children as young as four,” the statement said.

The risks of adding nuclear energy to South Africa’s power grid outweigh its economic benefits, the country’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission said as it called for a halt to nuclear procurement plans and a referendum on the issue. South Africa is in a financial crisis and cannot af

The bishops of the United States were “gravely disappointed” that the 2016 omnibus funding bill, passed on Dec. 18, did not include the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act. Without the measure, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic institutions that provide health ca

The first day of winter, Dec. 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day and longest night of the year. For people who are homeless, it’s a night that represents the harsh challenges of living on the streets. For the past seven years, St. John the Evangelist Homeless Shelter, a ministry of t

Unprecedented flooding around the world drew the attention of Pope Francis during his last general audience of 2015 in Rome on Dec. 30. Noting several rain-driven crises, he said, “I invite everyone to pray for the victims of the calamities which in these days have befallen the United States,

As war and violence continue to rage in Iraq and Syria, hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled their homelands to find security, regardless of what the future may hold. Refugees making their way toward Europe and the United States are seeking a better, safer life, refugee advocates said.Catholi

Because of ongoing renovation at the National Mall, the March for Life midday rally on Jan. 22 has been moved from the west front of the Capitol to the Washington Monument grounds. • A 92-year-old deacon at Queen of Heaven Parish in Albuquerque, N.M., was recovering after being mugged by three