Catholic News Service

Two Dallas Catholic school campuses and a parish have closed after a person showing symptoms of COVID-19 had come into contact with individuals at those school and church communities, school and Diocese of Dallas officials said March 11.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge gave final approval March 10 to a $34 million settlement agreement between 93 victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse and the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota, as well as parishes within the diocese.

President Donald Trump may be as divisive to religionists as he seems to be to other groups in American society, as indicated by the latest Pew Research Center survey.

Acknowledging how difficult it can be to adapt to restrictive measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, Pope Francis told people watching his morning Mass March 12 that it was for "our own good."

Pope Francis asked people to pray for government officials and leaders who are tasked with making critical decisions and taking drastic measures that may make people unhappy.

Initially the coronavirus impacted study abroad programs and spring break travel or service opportunities for U.S. colleges and universities.

A retired archbishop remained under house arrest March 11 as disputes intensified over Togo's Feb. 22 presidential ballot.

A group of priests in Lebanon have quarantined themselves while a pair of their elders are fighting coronavirus. A Catholic hospital in another part of the tiny Mediterranean country has also seen a spread of the COVID-19 as fear of the disease grips the cash-strapped nation.

Expanding the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston's Safe Environment Program, Bishop Mark Brennan is requiring additional protocols to increase safety and reduce risk of sexual abuse in Catholic schools and parishes.

Amid a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus epidemic, Pope Francis soldiered on with his weekly general audience and called on people to not forget those who suffer from war and violence.

Pope Francis dedicated his third livestreamed morning Mass to prisoners suffering because Italian government measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus have included the suspension of visits by family and friends.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith says he is ready to launch street protests if Sri Lanka's government does not find and arrest the culprits behind last year's Easter bombings.

Fordham University in New York announced March 9 that it was suspending public classes on all of its New York-area campuses and would continue these courses online March 11.

Catholics in Northwest Indiana are organizing to raise awareness about the ongoing efforts in the state Legislature to legalize assisted suicide.

Catholic leaders paid tribute to Archbishop Peter Smith, vice president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, who died March 6 after a short illness.

During a live broadcast of his daily morning Mass, Pope Francis prayed for victims of the coronavirus epidemic and the many health care workers fighting its spread.

Pope Francis did not recite the Sunday Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square March 8, but he did go to the window to wave and to bless the pilgrims who showed up anyway.

Pope Francis has decided the next world Synod of Bishops at the Vatican, which will take place in October 2022, will have the theme: "For a synodal church: Communion, participation and mission."

Nathaniel Woods, a 43-year-old inmate in Alabama was executed by lethal injection March 5 after the U.S. Supreme Court, which initially granted a temporary stay, denied the inmate's petition to put his execution on hold.

Chief Justice John Roberts, accustomed to writing in-depth opinions on court cases, penned a rare statement March 4 denouncing remarks made earlier that day by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, at a rally outside the Supreme Court.