On issues that have become hallmarks of the Francis papacy, notably care of creation and the global refugee crisis, Mrs. Gingrich had difficulty explaining how she might engage the Vatican, given Mr. Trump’s views.

"I think that the terms gay and lesbian, L.G.BT. should be respected.... People should be called the way that they want to be called rather than us coming up with terms that maybe we’re more comfortable with.”

“Our border community knows the reality of a broken immigration system."

The Catholic Health Association, meanwhile, said the revisions to the proposal “reinforces the fact that this bill cannot be fixed.”

Catholic bishops there are grappling with a difficult question: Should those who end their lives with the assistance of medication be given a Catholic funeral?

As technology allows bodies to live longer than ever before, palliative care could playing an increasingly important role in end-of-life decisions.

Some 160 bishops and 200 Catholic organizations will gather in Orlando to consider how the U.S. church can better promote the Gospel.

This is the 70th year the event has been held, modeled on similar blessings back in Portugal.

Senate proposal could “wreak havoc on low-income families and struggling communities, and must not be supported,” the bishops said in a statement released on Thursday evening.  

Just 38 percent of Catholics say they approve of the president.