Catholic News Service

Celebrating the feast of St. Matthew, Pope Francis said it was interesting how many Catholics today seem to be scandalized when God shows mercy to someone.

Church officials fear that newly revised religious affairs regulations released by the Chinese government will be used to further suppress religious activities.

Msgr. Rene Laurentin, who spent a lifetime studying Marian apparitions, died Sept. 10 at the age of 99 in Evry, France.

Young people should love, believe and follow their dreams, never despairing because Jesus is always with them, Pope Francis said.

Mexican church leaders offered prayers and urged generosity after an earthquake struck the national capital and its environs, claiming more than 240 lives.

Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, avoided any mention of ethnic cleansing of Muslim Rohingya while broadly condemning human rights violations.

"Compassion is an emotion that engages, it is a feeling from the heart, from the gut," affecting one's entire being, the pope said Sept. 19 during morning Mass.

How Protestants regarded Martin Luther has evolved as the Reformation he engendered has likewise evolved, according to German Catholic theologian Father Peter Neuner. 

Pope Francis urged the bishops of Bolivia to faithfully guide their flocks as breakaway groups comprised of former priests and seminarians are gaining ground in the country.

To better prepare priests and pastoral workers to help meet the challenges they face today, Pope Francis is strengthening the Pontifical John Paul II Institute and changing its name.

Pope Francis praised the first ever "multireligious" half-marathon in Rome, which was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture, after thousands of runners participated.

Those who govern are called to be humble and serve the good of the people God entrusts to them rather than the interests of their party or themselves, Pope Francis said.

A senior Philippine priest taken hostage by Islamic State-inspired militants in the southern city of Marawi has been freed after almost four months of captivity.

Lake Poopo dried up three years ago, and 30 million fish died almost overnight. Along with the fish went the livelihood of the residents of a few dozen Aymara and Uru communities.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster described the attempted bombing of a rush hour Tube train in London as "yet another cowardly attack." 

The process of "journeying together" during the Catholic Church's synods of bishops offers a map for the church's outreach, Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl said Sept. 12.

Updated: Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, on the Vatican's investigation of diplomat recalled from the U.S. embassy after he becomes involved in criminal investigation involving child pornography.

Religious freedom requires tolerance of differing viewpoints in addition to the free practice of faith to assure civility in American society, speakers said during a Brookings Institution program.

Colombia's long and arduous path toward reconciliation and a lasting peace after nearly half a century of war is a sign of hope for all Christians, Pope Francis said.

Several young people attending a Vatican-sponsored seminar urged the bishops to be open to listening to youths talk and ask questions about love, sex and sexuality.