Catholic News Service

Bishop R. Walker Nickless of Sioux City admitted it was "with a heavy and sad heart" he was reporting that some priests and bishops have abused the grace and beauty of the priesthood.

The day Australian Cardinal George Pell was jailed in Melbourne, the Vatican announced his case would be investigated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The former prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy and former member of Pope Francis' Council of Cardinals will remain behind bars ahead of his sentencing March 13.

A New York woman sued the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, a diocesan-run high school and a Maryland-based order of Franciscan priests for $300 million, saying she was sexually abused by a priest of the order for three years at the school.

The Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn has launched an investigation into Archbishop Mark Coleridge, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, over how he handled information on child abuse.

The Lenten season is a reminder for Catholics that overindulgence ruptures communion with God, with others and with creation, Pope Francis said.

Throughout Latin America, people whose lives and land have been affected by industries that extract natural resources, such as mining or oil operations, find strength in their spirituality, church leaders say.

An Australian court found Cardinal George Pell guilty on five charges related to the sexual abuse of two 13-year-old boys; sentencing is expected in early March, but the cardinal's lawyer already has announced plans to appeal the conviction.

Under California state Democratic Sen. Jerry Hill's new bill, Catholic priests would be required to report to civil authorities if they learn in confession that a penitent has sexually abused someone.

Pope Francis will issue a document on "young people, faith and vocational discernment" five months after the world Synod of Bishops gathered to discuss the topic.

A report on the first financial settlements by the Independent Reconciliation and Reparation Program for victims of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been made public.

Border bishops from the U.S. and Mexico, along with representatives from various Catholic social justice groups, will gather in El Paso, Texas, Feb. 25-27 for an emergency meeting on recent immigration developments.

Vatican City: Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, who served as moderator of the Feb. 21-24 summit, said Pope Francis will soon publish a new set of laws and guidelines concerning child protection for Vatican City State.

Vatican City: The Vatican summit on child protection and the clerical sexual abuse crisis affirmed the U.S. bishops' strong belief that bishops and cardinals who abuse children or cover up abuse must be held accountable, said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

Vatican City: If they are truly serious about fighting clerical sex abuse, bishops must join forces with journalists and not view them as enemies plotting against the Catholic Church, Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki said.

The prepared text of the presentation given Feb. 23 by Nigerian Sr. Veronica Openibo, leader of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, at the Vatican summit on child protection. 

Hundreds of people who were affected by the recent government shutdown received much needed help from Catholic Charities of South Carolina.

A Divine Liturgy brought together four jurisdictions of Eastern-rite Catholic communities, as well as the local Latin-rite Catholic community, at St. Gregory Catholic Church in St. Nazianz.

The French bishops' conference has condemned rising anti-Semitism in the country, as official data showed a massive increase of attacks, prompting new government measures.

Immediately after asking bishops and religious superiors to be concrete in confronting the clerical sexual abuse crisis and the need to protect children in the church, Pope Francis handed them a list of 21 action items to consider.