President Barack Obama June 14 nominated Ken Hackett, retired president of Catholic Relief Services, to be U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Obama's announcement about Hackett came late in the day, along with his nominees for ambassador posts in Brazil, Spain, Germany, Denmark and Ethiopia.&

Three bishops weighed in on the ongoing congressional debate on immigration reform legislation June 10, warning against amending a Senate bill in ways that would block the path to legalization for undocumented immigrants.At a news conference in San Diego, held as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bish

Comprehensive immigration reform legislation barely cleared its first hurdle in Congress in May with the approval of the Senate Judiciary Committee, but the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., known as CLINIC, is already gearing up to help a potential pool of 11 million people apply for legaliz

The life of Blessed John XXIII is a lesson in how obedience and trust in God lead to an interior peace that is naturally recognized by and shared with others, Pope Francis said.Joining a pilgrimage of 3,000 people from the late pope's home diocese -- Bergamo, Italy -- Pope Francis prayed at the

Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town and legendary opponent of South African apartheid, was awarded the 2013 Templeton Prize on April 4. • In a letter on March 22, Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston urged Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to support the

nbsp Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio 76 was elected the 266th pope and took the name Francis The election March 13 came on the first full day of the conclave on the conclave 39 s fifth ballot It was a surprisingly quick conclusion to a conclave that began with many plausible candidates

The Philippine island of Boracay is a tourist paradise; it is also the scene of abuse and violence suffered by its indigenous people, the Ati. The church in the Philippines is by their side to defend their rights and perhaps protect their very existence, said Bishop Sergio Utleg, president of the Ph

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia was named apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh on Feb. 28, temporarily replacing Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned on Feb. 18 and then dramatically acknowledged on March 3 that he was guilty of sexual misconduct throughout his c

The United Nations has taken the rare step of invoking its legal immunity to rebuff claims for compensation from victims of the cholera epidemic in Haiti, the worst outbreak of the disease in modern times. Citing a convention laid down in 1946 that offers immunity from such legal claims, U.N. Secret

The Indonesian government is failing to protect the country’s religious minorities from growing intolerance and violence, Human Rights Watch said in a new report. The report documents government failure to confront militant groups, whose harassment and assaults on houses of worship and me