Catholic News Service

A Christian life should be filled with amazement — astonishment at the son of God suffering and dying for humanity and awe at realizing how precious and loved people are in his eyes, Pope Francis said.

A former student at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary in the Vatican said he witnessed "dozens" of instances of abuse at the minor seminary.

The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world has shown steady growth, while the number of religious men and women continued to decrease, according to Vatican statistics.

While standing outside the prison that housed Virginia's execution chamber, Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation abolishing the death penalty in the state March 24.

Everyone is responsible for caring for the oceans, which are fundamental to supporting life on the planet, said speakers at a conference organized by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Pope Francis has named Cardinal Jose Advincula of Capiz to be the new archbishop of Manila.

Recalled as "man of character" and "loving father," Officer Eric Talley was the first of 10 people to be killed in a mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, March 22.

With the need to reduce costs, Pope Francis has approved pay cuts for cardinals, clergy, religious and upper management officials who work in the Roman Curia and other Vatican entities.

Mary, the mother of God, has been present during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she was by the side of all those who died alone, Pope Francis said.

The world needs to rethink personal security and move away from the idea that complex weapons systems can protect people, said speakers at a Vatican-led webinar.

The Supreme Court's March 22 announcement that it would hear a government appeal to reinstate the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev brings the death penalty issue in front of the Biden administration.

The Legionaries of Christ received seven new allegations of sexual abuse against members of the congregation in 2020 and released the names of four additional members who ministered in the United States and had substantiated sexual abuse allegations made against them.

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, 64, said he won't resign following the publication of the report on the handling of clerical sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Cologne.

The coronavirus pandemic, as declared last March by the World Health Organization, was not even two weeks old when then-President Donald Trump said he wanted to see "packed churches" on Easter. That didn't happen. It won't happen this year, either.

In a major address on confronting the sin of racism and working for racial justice, Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the nation's first African American cardinal, said a "healing of America's soul" is needed.

The redress hearing is one of several involving the Catholic Church in the overall royal commission, which is looking primarily at abuse from 1950 to 1999, although experiences outside these years may also be heard. Abuse being investigated includes sexual, physical, emotional, psychological abuse and neglect.

Conflict is driving four countries — Yemen, South Sudan, Burkina Faso and northeastern Nigeria — into famine, the World Food Program warned.

Like St. Joseph, who had other plans for his life but lovingly embraced his role as Jesus' foster father, a priest assigned to a new parish cannot impose his own ways on that community, Pope Francis said.

The Brazilian bishops' conference and five civil society groups criticized the federal government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As security forces in Myanmar have increased their crackdown on civilians, with disappearances, detentions and the killing of peaceful protesters, Pope Francis appealed for an end to violence and the start of dialogue.