Catholic News Service

Pope Francis asked people to celebrate a "real Christmas" by recognizing Jesus in their lives and cultivating peace in their hearts.

Pope Francis told children that Christmas is a sign of how much God loves them, and they are called to share that love.

Courts in wide swaths of the United States no longer impose death sentences or carry out executions.

That a woman apparently became the pope is why the legend insists that a special chair.

Thirteen new Maryknoll lay missioners were officially sent into mission to minister in six countries around the world.

The ongoing pandemic serves as a reminder that the world cannot move forward without cooperation and solidarity, Pope Francis told a group of ambassadors.

For next year's spring semester, some Catholic colleges are joining other colleges across the country in requiring students to receive COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.

A study issued by the Economic Policy Institute shows that even in the tech sector, immigrants are paid less than their U.S. counterparts, though federal law says that's not supposed to happen.

A group of Catholic and Anglican theologians has called on the Vatican to review and overturn a papal document that declared Anglican ordinations "absolutely null and utterly void."

Christian leaders in the Holy Land have asked for "an urgent dialogue" with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders "to ensure that no citizen or institution has to live under threat of violence or intimidation."

Pope Francis established a new Vatican foundation that will promote initiatives based on the principles set out in his encyclical "Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship."

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors hosted a three-day seminar looking at the rights in church trials of those alleging they suffered sexual abuse as children.

The absence of any words attributed to St. Joseph in the Gospels speaks volumes about the importance of silence, Pope Francis said.

Thomas J. Quigley, who worked for 45 years in service to the U.S. bishops, mostly in the realm of foreign policy, died Dec. 11 at age 91.

The head of the U.S. embassy in El Salvador said the diplomatic mission in the country has turned over all pertinent documents the U.S. has on the case.

Travel bans on southern Africa are based on "a deep-seated racism" and have a severe impact on the poor in the region.

A meeting between Pope Francis and representatives of Indigenous communities in Canada should be held in the spring, said the president of the Canadian bishops' conference.

The Supreme Court turned down emergency requests from New York health care workers seeking a religious exemption from the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its health care employees.

Festive music, dancing and prayers in honor of Mary echoed through St. Peter's Square as hundreds gathered to commemorate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

As of early Dec. 13, at least 34 people were confirmed dead, but rescue efforts were still underway in Mayfield and elsewhere.