Catholic News Service

Like an orchestra conductor leading a symphony of different sounds and harmonies, the Holy Spirit creates a masterpiece of unity and communion that extols God's love, Pope Francis said.

Measles, chicken pox and other diseases are making a comeback as more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children out of the fear of side effects, especially with regard to the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine.

The Catholic bishops of Scotland have authorized an independent audit of every diocese in the country to ensure child protection procedures are as robust as possible.

Basilian Fr. Thomas Rosica has resigned as CEO of Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, the latest chapter in a scandal that has embroiled him since February.

A new law in Quebec prohibits the wearing of religious symbols or clothing by some government employees, including public school teachers, state lawyers, judges and police officers.

Joseph Henn, a former Salvatorian priest, was brought back to Arizona by U.S. marshals after his arrest in Rome by Italian police May 28. Henn was formally arraigned June 14 on 13 charges of child sexual molestation in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix.

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing of Hong Kong pledged to remain with students protesting a controversial extradition bill. He said he would not leave, "No matter how long they stay." 

Using social media, preaching, newspaper columns and letters read at Mass, the Los Angeles Archdiocese and California's other Catholic dioceses planned a special push over the June 15-16 weekend asking Catholics to urge their representatives in the state Assembly to reject a confession bill.

The Catholic Church must find ways to reach indigenous Catholics deprived of the sacraments in the most remote areas of the Amazon rainforest, and that may include ordaining married elders, said the working document for the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon.

Representatives of lay organizations expressed caution over the steps taken by U.S. bishops to boost accountability and transparency in dealing with clergy sexual abuse, saying future actions by the bishops will determine how successful the initiatives ultimately will be.

The world must act immediately to mitigate global warming and avoid committing "a brutal act of injustice" on the poor and future generations, Pope Francis told a group of energy and oil executives and global investors.

Chilean priest Fr. Carlos Irarrazaval declined the position of auxiliary bishop of Santiago, a few weeks before scheduled July 16 ordination. 

While the sex abuse crisis consumed the June meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, prelates who work on the border, such as Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, have been facing a different crisis also involving children. 

As the U.S. bishops met in Baltimore for their spring general assembly, social media users had the opportunity to pose questions to bishops the evenings of June 11 and June 12 via the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Facebook Live sessions.

The U.S. bishops June 12 gave a provisional OK to development of a new set of strategic priorities to guide the work of their conference from 2021 through 2024.

Pope Francis told Jesuits in Romania that tensions and struggles within the church have left it wounded and that the only path forward is through humble dialogue, not futile arguments.

Apostolic nuncios are called to be men of faith focused on proclaiming the Gospel and shunning the power and corruption that can come from the luxurious trappings of their diplomatic status, Pope Francis said.

A nationwide third-party system for receiving confidential reports of "certain complaints" against bishops took a step closer to being implemented during the spring general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Cheyenne's current bishop announced June 12 that such a Vatican trial of Bishop Joseph Hart would take place. Hart's name was in a diocesan list of Catholic clergy with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable persons.

After a major newspaper published a story about alleged financial and sexual misconduct by a West Virginia bishop, a prelate overseeing the investigation for the Vatican expressed regret that he redacted his name out of documents detailing financial aspects of the scandal.