Catholic News Service

Young people in the United States are looking for a sense of community and a safe space in the church to express themselves freely, two representatives of Catholic youth told Pope Francis.

The Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations told a committee of the world body that "civilian populations continue to be victims of widespread and systematic attacks."

In oral arguments Oct. 11, the Supreme Court considered the case of Texas inmate Rodney Reed, who has been on death row for more than 25 years and has gained the attention of Catholic leaders and celebrities for his claims of innocence.

The post-Hurricane Ian landscape is expected to trigger housing, employment and other cost-of-living complications for the entire state and in particular on the Gulf Coast.

As bishops across Asia celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, Pope Francis urged them to recognize the dignity and potential of their laypeople and to remember that the diversity that marks their cultures and churches is a gift to the church.

Complaints without any desire to do anything about the situation are poison, Pope Francis said.

Five members of the armed forces of El Salvador are part of 28 reported fatalities related to the weather system known as Julia as of early Oct. 11, but the death toll is expected to rise. 

At an Oct. 10 ceremony at the Vatican Embassy in Washington, Catholic advocates working to bring an end to the death penalty acknowledged leaders in the fight against capital punishment in the U.S.

The Second Vatican Council was of great interest to the Orthodox world, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople wrote in an article published in the Vatican newspaper.

Heavy rains in the city of Accra led to flooding after spillage from the Weija dam, the source of potable water for more than half of the 5.4 million population of the national capital.

Christian patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem noted "with grave concern" British Prime Minister Liz Truss' call for her government to review moving the British Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

While the term "synodality" is not found in any of the 16 documents of the Second Vatican Council, the council's vision and definition of the church is at the heart of what synodality is, said Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops.

The Federal Communications Commission has authorized that technology be made available to inmates with hearing disabilities so that they may be able to communicate with loved ones and lawyers.

The refusal to help desperate migrants "is revolting, it's sinful, it's criminal," Pope Francis said as he canonized a bishop dedicated to assisting migrants and a Salesian brother who had immigrated with his family to Argentina.

Exploring their sacraments, rituals and outreach that promote reconciliation with God and among people, Catholic and Methodist experts acknowledged in a new document that divided Christians "fall short of what it means to be the church."

Pope Francis said he was "deeply saddened" after hearing the news of one of the world's worst mass shootings at a day care center in northeast Thailand.

Pope Francis appointed several recently created cardinals to be members of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the Vatican announced. Among the new appointments announced by the Vatican Oct. 7 was Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego, who will serve as a member of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life as well as the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Tulsa police arrested a suspect who allegedly injured an employee at Holy Family Cathedral's school in downtown Tulsa with a sword late Oct. 5 and the next day identified him as Daniel Edwards.

The image of a white victim does not tell the complete story of clergy sexual abuse in the United States, according to a number of panelists during an Oct. 5 online forum titled "Neglected Voices in the Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis."

Catholic immigration advocates are emphasizing that the Oct. 5 ruling by a federal appeals court -- finding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is unlawful -- sends another signal that permanent legislation is needed to protect young immigrants from deportation and put them on a path to U.S. citizenship.