African and European bishops say European leaders are prioritizing their own countries' benefits from African land deals, ahead of creating a system that is equitable and positive for African communities.
In his first major foreign policy address, Pope Leo XIV focused on the three words he considers the aim of Vatican diplomacy: peace, justice and truth.
Anyone looking for a quick answer from Leo XIV will have to wait. He is very much a synodal man, and so the question of women deacons is open for the whole church to consider.
Leo is unlikely to match perfectly the positions of either American political party and will disappoint many as he runs a church that operates far outside of any local political faction. But he knows the U.S. political culture more intimately than any other pope in history — knowledge that may prove useful, as he is unlikely to escape politics altogether.
Although overtly campaigning to be pope is discouraged and would be counterproductive, the cardinals do a lot of politicking in private prior to the conclave.
"He was a source of inspiration for many artists, even those who have nothing to do with religion, because he was a transparent person — for better or for worse. A real person," said the street artist Maupal.
A student at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., has had their visa revoked by the federal government, adding a Catholic school founded by U.S. bishops to the growing list of colleges where international students have had their visas revoked by President Donald Trump's administration.
The New Yorker magazine has managed to insult Christians and Jews alike with a cartoon depicting the Last Supper in an April issue, writes columnist Phyllis Zagano.
A federal judge has denied a request by the Trump administration to reconsider a ruling in a lawsuit brought by faith-based refugee resettlement agencies, ordering the government to begin immediately processing and admitting refugees who were conditionally approved before Jan 20.
While congressional co-sponsors are all Catholic, the Religious Workforce Protection Act has substantial support from a variety of religious leaders, including evangelical Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Episcopalians.