Catholic News Service

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had a 50-minute private meeting with Pope Francis Nov. 4 at the Vatican.

Maturing in the Christian life means learning to trust God and hang on to hope even when daily trials tempt one to complain, Pope Francis said.

Every form of abuse — sexual, psychological or an abuse of power — is part of "the culture of death" that needs to be eradicated through the conversion, education and the active participation of everyone, Pope Francis said.

People experiencing depression often need someone to talk to, and they can benefit from psychological counseling and reading what Jesus has to say, Pope Francis said.

To believe in Jesus means to follow him and avoid going "the opposite way," following one's own interests and inflating one's own ego, Pope Francis said

The Supreme Court sent a case back to a lower court asking it to reconsider a ruling against the Diocese of Albany, New York, and other religious groups that challenged the state's mandate requiring employers to provide abortion coverage in their employee health insurance plans.

The Supreme Court Nov. 1 turned down an appeal from a Catholic hospital in California that was sued for refusing to perform a hysterectomy on a transgender patient.

The tombstones of soldiers killed in war cry out to people today to end all wars and to stop the production of weapons, Pope Francis said.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas hopes for the eventual end of a policy designed to keep asylum-seekers to the U.S. on the Mexico side of the southern border until their cases are heard.

During oral arguments just shy of three hours Nov. 1, the Supreme Court closely examined — and seemed to have concerns about — how the new abortion law in Texas was framed and is enforced.

Bishops from Honduras and El Salvador and episcopal conference officials issued a statement about their concerns over "what we are seeing on the borders of Central America, Mexico and the United States."

Pope Francis called on world leaders to aid the people of Haiti as the country continues to descend into chaos due to widespread violence, economic instability and natural disasters.

A new federation to focus on issues surrounding Hispanic family ministry has been formed by the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers.

125-page report describes progress on environmental protection and difficulties faced by parishes and other church institutions in responding to climate change.

Catholic leaders are questioning a decision by Israel's Ministry of Internal Security to cancel a three-day Palestinian cultural event at Abraham's House.

The Dedham District Court held a pretrial hearing Oct. 28 in the criminal sex abuse case of former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, who is facing three counts of sexually assaulting a teenager in the 1970s. McCarrick pleaded not guilty to the charges Sept. 3 at the court, but his presence at the hearing was waived. A second pretrial hearing was scheduled for Dec. 21.

To ensure all Catholics have an opportunity to share and to listen as part of the initial process leading up to the Synod of Bishops in 2023, the Vatican has extended the local phase by more than three months.

Catholic peace activists and policy experts have expressed apprehension that the United States has joined an accelerating rush to perfect new weapons.

The Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square this year will have a distinctly Indigenous, Andean look with the centerpiece being a "Hilipuska" baby Jesus.

The Vatican has again extended the period of time when people can earn a plenary indulgence for visiting a cemetery and praying for the souls of the faithful in purgatory.