Father Ignatius Rai, pastor of the cathedral parish, said "unknown persons" broke into the church premises and started a fire that partially damaged the priest's residence and the western part of the church.

The U.S. Catholic Church welcomed thousands of new Catholics at the Easter Vigil on April 15 in churches big and small across the country.

Catholic bishops whose dioceses cover portions of Maryland said their state "is not immune from this tragic reality."

The U.S. State Department's will no longer contribute to the U.N. Population Fund because of the agency's involvement in China's "one-child policy."

The committee chairmen also said that withdrawal of the bill "must not end our nation's efforts to improve health care."

Conditions have worsened for surviving Christians under the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un, said a priest working with North Korean refugees in China.

Catholic bishops in Congo have abandoned attempts to arrange a government-opposition power-sharing agreement, amid rising violence.

Keeler was known for his vital role in ecumenical and interreligious relations.

"Let us think about Patrick the 'unlearned refugee' (as he once described himself), the slave in exile, Patrick the undocumented migrant."

New Mexico Catholic bishops distanced themselves from Catholic legislators who support abortion and physician-assisted suicide.