Catholic News Service

Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, has begun distributing water to help residents besieged by a failing water system in the state's capital city.

The plenary assembly of the German Synodal Path meeting in Frankfurt Sept. 8-10 will start by debating a 32-page text on sexual morality, which could be adopted at the meeting, as could eight other texts, some of which contain far-reaching proposals for reforms in the church.

Calling sexual abuse "diabolical" and a "mostrosity," Pope Francis underlined there is "zero tolerance" for those in the church who are guilty of abuse.

For the unity and greater good of the Knights of Malta, Pope Francis has promulgated a new constitution and code for the order, appointed a provisional sovereign council and called for an extraordinary general chapter to be held at the start of the new year.

Retired Bishop Dale J. Melczek of Gary, who wrote two pastoral letters that addressed racism and took an active role in building understanding across racial lines throughout his tenure, died Aug. 25. He was 83.

Clergy in some U.S. parishes are leading efforts to create more awareness of Pope Francis' message on the moral duty to care for the environment during the ecumenical Season of Creation.

The number of Catholic institutions where at least some of its employees have union representation has grown to more than 600, according to the annual "Gaudium et Spes Labor Report" by the Catholic Labor Network.

Pope Francis beatified Pope John Paul I during a Sept. 4 Mass attended by an estimated 25,000 in St. Peter's Square.

Thousands of marchers lined up in a Sacramento park Aug. 26 to finish the last mile of a 23-day farmworker march.

This year's annual Labor Day statement from the U.S. bishops touts two bills awaiting action in Congress as being helpful to children, women and families: the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and an expansion of the federal child tax credit.

The liturgy must be nurtured with care and never be neglected or abused, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis offered his prayers and praise for former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who died at age 91 Aug. 30 in Moscow after a long illness.

The creation care team of the Twin Cities archdiocese in Minnesota is leading plans to observe the worldwide Season of Creation, which begins Sept. 1.

God created every human being to be free to choose how to live in this world, Pope Francis said.

Bishop John Baptist Ye Ronghua, who led the reconstruction of the Catholic Church in northwestern China's Ankang area, died at age 91.

Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, said he continues to have confidence in the Synodal Path of the Catholic Church in Germany.

Pope Francis' comments on the death of Darya Dugina, a 29-year-old commentator with a nationalist Russian TV channel, were meant to defend life and were not a political affirmation, the Vatican said.

An agricultural technical school in Eritrea is the latest to fall under government control, in a string of forced seizures of Catholic schools and hospitals.

The government of Pakistan has declared an emergency in the country after experiencing more than 14 inches of rainfall, and a death toll surpassing 1,000 people since June.