NATION/WORLD

Mourning, prayer and a resolve to rebuild shattered lives, homes and businesses in Mayfield followed one of the most powerful twisters in U.S. history that leveled the city of 10,000 in western Kentucky overnight Dec. 10.

Every human being is precious and has a value that does not depend on his or her abilities, but on the fact that he or she is a person created in the image of God, Pope Francis said.

Catholic men and women formally installed in the new ministry of catechists are not simply religious education teachers but are engaged in "the proclamation and transmission of the faith, carrying out this role in collaboration with the ordained ministers and under their guidance," said a letter accompanying the Latin text of the Rite of Institution of Catechists.

When the superior of a religious community does not live his or her authority as a form of service, the result is an abuse of power that harms individuals and can destroy a vocation, Pope Francis said.

With Christmas just over a week away, Christians should prepare for Jesus' birth by serving those in need rather than focusing on what awaits them under the Christmas tree, Pope Francis said.

Most Catholics probably know there are specific roles within the papal household that support the papacy.

The Supreme Court said Dec. 10 that clinics can continue to challenge a Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy but in the meantime the law would remain in effect.

A tractor-trailer carrying more than 150 migrants crashed in Mexico's southern Chiapas state, claiming at least 53 lives and leaving dozens more injured -- an accident highlighting the dangers of human smuggling through the country.

The Christmas tree and Nativity crèche should evoke the joy and the peace of God's love and not the selfish indulgence of consumerism and indifference, Pope Francis said.

Dropping references to Christmas in favor of "winter holidays" in official European Union communications was an idea that was not meant to offend but did and could even push some Christians toward right-wing populist political parties, said Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg.