Catholic News Service

Catholic Church leaders in Bolivia are opposing a controversial new law, signed by President Evo Morales, that strips protection from a national park and indigenous territory.

Conflict and drought are threatening more than 20 million people in four countries with the prospect of famine, and the U.N. has called this the largest humanitarian crisis since the world body was formed.

Countries such as the U.S., the United Kingdom and Canada have pledged large sums of money to assist countries facing severe food emergencies, but a gap exists between pledged aid and the amount of aid collected.

Thousands attended a midday vigil Aug. 18 in Barcelona's Plaza de Catalunya, attended by Spanish King Felipe VI and government and political party leaders from across the country. 

Iceland is on its way to "eliminate" people with Down syndrome, causing uproar in the pro-life community over the high numbers of abortions following prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

How long viewers will see the moon covering the sun depends on where they will be on its coast-to-coast path. Some may only see it for a few seconds, others for a couple of minutes.

Church leaders from Oceania, meeting in New Zealand to discuss protecting the oceans, also served meals to the homeless and met with Pacific Islander high school students.

Fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life is the "biggest challenge" for the Catholic Church in China, said Passionist Fr. Robert Carbonneau, executive director of the U.S. Catholic China Bureau.

Pope Francis did not change church teaching on the rules for receiving Communion, but rather assured people who are in difficult situations that the church cares for them and the mercy of God extends to them, a Nigerian cardinal said.

One of America's smallest parishes is uniquely situated inside one of its greatest natural wonders. 

The Archdiocese of Mexico City said it reported six cases of priests accused of sexually abusing minors to prosecutors between 2010 and 2017, following a change in the law requiring such crimes to be brought to the authorities' attention.

Mideast Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs decried the desperate situation they face as shepherds of churches "whose existence is in real danger."

The Catholic Church on Guam is urging its members and all people on the island to be prayerful and stay centered in Christ amid threats of missile attacks by North Korea.

Updated: Catholic bishops called for peace after three people died and several others were injured following clashes between pacifists, protesters and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, Aug. 11 and 12.

Writing Aug. 10, Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico, chairman of the bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, echoed a recent call from the Korean bishops' conference to support talks to secure the peaceful future of the Korean Peninsula.

Catholic bishops in Kenya called for calm in the East Africa nation, as pockets of violent postelection protests left at least five dead in opposition strongholds.

The United States and North Korea must return to the negotiating table and focus on improving the quality of life of their people rather than on the might of their advanced weaponry, said a former Vatican diplomat.

A senior Vatican official has hinted there is an unofficial agreement between the Holy See and Beijing on the appointment of bishops, even as negotiations to formalize arrangements continue to hit roadblocks, reported ucanews.com.

The Vatican has appointed an apostolic visitor to investigate claims by Indonesian priests that their bishop had a mistress and misappropriated church funds.

Francis Chronicles: God did not choose perfect people to form his church, but rather sinners who have experienced his love and forgiveness, Pope Francis said.