Catholic News Service

A May 15 ruling by a California judge overturning the state's law allowing assisted suicide is encouraging, said Ned Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference.

A group of current Washington Trinity University graduates are proud of what they've accomplished but also very anxious about the future.

Warning that violence will never bring peace, Pope Francis urged all sides to do all they can to foster dialogue in the Middle East.

Blessed Paul VI had written to the dean of the College of Cardinals saying if he become seriously ill or impeded from exercising his ministry, top cardinals in Rome should accept his resignation.

Parents and godparents must make sure they "feed the flame of baptismal grace in their little ones, helping them persevere in the faith," the pope said May 16 at his weekly general audience.

In the process of identifying the "spiritual illnesses" of the diocese, the pope said, the priests and parish leaders made it clear that they are tired of being content with what they have been doing for years.

While taking selfies can be an occasion to capture treasured memories, it can also be a sign that young men and women are deprived of meaningful human interaction, Pope Francis said.

What some consider the most significant federal tax system overhaul in 30 years — the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — also has been flagged as a potential train wreck for annual charitable giving.

A Chilean bishop acknowledged the damage inflicted on survivors of clerical sex abuse and the mishandling of cases by church leaders in the country. "I am not saying that perhaps we have made mistakes. We have made mistakes," said Bishop Juan Ignacio Gonzalez Errazuriz of San Bernardo.

The Mexican bishops' conference pledged to pursue a pastoral vision in which the church is close to the needs of the people, prioritizes the poor and speaks prophetically.

As the new United States embassy was inaugurated in Jerusalem May 14, violence broke out between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers. International media reported that in Gaza, at least 52 people were killed, including five under the age of 18, and some 2,000 were injured. 

Dominic Lombardi has been named executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

In addition to offering prayers, the Catholic Church is stepping into action on behalf of hundreds of residents displaced from a fierce and unpredictable volcanic eruption.

The Catholic Church must not keep young men and women at a distance, but instead must learn to listen to them, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis, the subject of a new documentary by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, is "the most fearless man I ever met," the director said in a segment of "60 Minutes" that aired May 13.

Days before the U.S. celebrated Mother's Day May 13, the national group Faith in Action urged others to think about immigrant mothers who have been separated from their children.

The Catholic Church in Cameroon said shots were fired at the residence of Archbishop Samuel Kleda, bishops' conference president, after he criticized policies by the government of President Paul Biya.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington blessed a newly completed green infrastructure project at a Catholic cemetery May 7, saying it aims to "keep God's creation as beautiful as when he created it."

A Catholic-led shareholder proposal calling on gun manufacturer Sturm Ruger to report its efforts to improve gun safety received majority support at the company's annual stockholder meeting.

Over 130 pastoral leaders working in Catholic young adult ministry across the country are expected to attend the National Young Adult Ministry Summit May 15-17.