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 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

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

nbsp Ezra Fieser of nbsp Catholic News Service reports on the passing of Hugo Chavez Hugo Chavez a socialist president who transformed Venezuela while acting as chief protagonist in what was one of the worst Catholic Church-government relationships in Latin America died March 5 He was 58 Chavez

An influential U.N. committee charges that the windows violate children’s rights.

The head of the Redemptorist fathers in Rome said he deeply regrets the actions of an Irish member of the order who accused the Vatican of subjecting him to “frightening procedures reminiscent of the Inquisition.” Michael Brehl, the Redemptorist order’s superior general, confirmed

Social media need to promote more kindness than bluster and division, the pope said.