Associated Press

The former bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has acknowledged covering up allegations of sexual abuse against children by priests in part to avoid scandal and protect the reputation of the diocese.

The former head of the Vatican's financial watchdog testified on April 5 that the agency launched an intelligence investigation into a suspicious London real estate deal after it learned about it but had no power to stop the Vatican secretariat of state from concluding it.

Pope Francis allegedly authorized negotiating an exit strategy for a key suspect in the Vatican's big embezzlement trial and was so satisfied with the outcome that he paid for a celebratory dinner at a fancy Roman fish restaurant the night the 15-million- euro payout closed.

The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians on Tuesday denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an "atrocious" act that is causing enormous suffering.

Indigenous leaders from Canada and survivors of the country's notorious residential schools met with Pope Francis and told him of the abuses they suffered at the hands of Catholic priests and school workers.

Russia has sought to justify its assault on Ukraine with complaints about NATO's eastward expansion, it has also claimed that foreign actors have encroached on its religious turf in Ukraine, alleging the us helped instigate an Eastern Orthodox schism.

A thief broke into the Basilica of St. Nicholas in the southern city of Bari overnight, stealing a gold ring from a finger of a statue of the saint.

Vatican officials on Monday defended the last-minute rollout of Pope Francis' reform of the Holy See bureaucracy while also painting it as one of the most consequential moves of his pontificate.

A New York City parish was founded as a chapel in 1910 by French missionaries. Now African Catholics worship there on Sundays, when priests celebrate Mass in French.

The top leader of Ukrainian Catholics in the US and Ukraine's ambassador to the nation made an appeal to the world for more weapons to fight against Russia's invasion and aid to address the worsening humanitarian crisis.

 A priest who balked at some of the Vermont Roman Catholic diocese's COVID-19-related precautions has been removed from his parish.

The Vatican on Saturday expressed "surprise and pain" at Nicaragua's expulsion of the papal nuncio, which comes at a time of growing pressure on opposition figures in the Central American nation.

The Northern Ireland government issued a formal apology on Friday to people who were abused in orphanages and children's homes, telling them that "the state let you down."

The head of the German Bishops' Conference on Monday pressed for a quick decision from Pope Francis on the future of a prominent archbishop who faces strong criticism for his handling of the church's sexual abuse scandal.

Among the sites at risk in the Ukrainian capital are the nation's most sacred Orthodox shrines, dating back nearly 1,000 years to the dawn of Christianity in the region.

A prominent Roman Catholic archbishop who faced strong criticism for his handling of the church's sexual abuse scandal in Germany said Wednesday that he has offered his resignation to Pope Francis following a "spiritual timeout".

The Vatican's criminal tribunal on Tuesday resoundingly rejected defense motions to dismiss a landmark financial fraud case and ruled the trial will go ahead with the questioning of a cardinal scheduled for later this month.

For transgender Catholics across the United States, retaining their faith can entail complex calculations. They face rebukes from some fellow Catholics, including many bishops, yet find full acceptance in some premises of the church.

Families came one by one to the baptismal font in a Phoenix church where the Rev. Andrés Arango, whose baptisms up until last summer are presumed to be invalid, poured holy water over the heads of a dozen people in a do-over of the Catholic ritual.

A Connecticut newspaper exposed one of the Catholic Church's biggest sexual abuse scandals by reporting 25 years ago.