Mandate cases prompt rallies outside court as oral arguments take place

The snowy, wet concrete and throng of reporters didn't stop Father Frank Pavone and the Rev. Patrick Mahoney from kneeling down and praying in front of the Supreme Court the morning of March 25.

12-year-old’s wish to go to Vatican, see Pope Francis to come true

Jasmine Munoz could have met Mickey Mouse at Disneyland, gone to a beach or taken a cruise, but the 12-year-old leukemia survivor would rather see the Vatican and meet Pope Francis.

British government bans burning of fetuses to heat hospitals

The British government has imposed an immediate ban on the incineration of miscarried and aborted babies after journalists found cases of hospitals burning fetuses to generate heat.

Ruling to allow same-sex marriage ‘regrettable,’ say Michigan bishops

A U.S. District Court judge's March 21 ruling that Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional does not change the fact "marriage is and can only ever be a unique relationship solely between one man and one woman," said the state's Catholic bishops.

Jokes, quips, wisecracks: John XXIII lived with keen sense of humor

A top 10 list of Blessed John XXIII's funny quips. The "Good Pope," who has an elementary school on the Phoenix/Scottsdale border bearing his name, will be canonized April 27.

Job creation is essential for promoting human dignity, pope says

The purpose of a job is not just to earn money; it is one of the key ways people exercise their intellect, creativity and physical energy in order to provide for their needs and those of their families, the pope said.

Pope to Mafiosi: Turn away now from the road to hell

Surrounded by survivors of innocent people killed by the Mafia, Pope Francis made an emotional appeal to Italian gangsters to give up their lives of crime and avoid eternal damnation.

Pope wants people to be ‘on fire with love for Christ,’ cardinal says

Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley said Pope Francis is a quintessential Ignatian Jesuit who has melded Jesuit and Franciscan spirituality into his approach to the papacy.

For Peru’s Kukama people, water is more than a drink, missionary finds

In all 17 Peruvian communities tested for pollution, the rivers, lakes or wells that provide drinking water were deemed unsafe, mostly because of bacteria associated with human waste, although some also contained arsenic.

Bahrain cathedral will be ‘symbol of Christianity’ in ‘heart of Islam’

Bishop Camillo Ballin, apostolic vicar of Northern Arabia, knows full well what it is like to minister to Catholics in a Muslim region because he has been doing that for more than four decades.In his territory, the Northern Arabia vicariate -- which includes Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia -- there are more than 2.5 million Catholics.