“We have a mission here; we have a mission with the Muslim people. Our Christian community believes in this mission, that we should be ready to stay, to take this responsibility,” no matter the risks.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed he and other top government officials were not told about a possible threat and told local media “we must look into why adequate precautions were not taken.”

Medical “advances” have made the simple act of human reproduction bafflingly complex, and inconsistent vocabulary adds to the difficulty of debating pro-life issues. Here is a guide to essential terms.

Father Schall was often described as a contrarian, but he had his mind set on the "essential and ultimate" questions.

The air was still thick with smoke and the ash burnt the eyes of the onlookers, who were relieved to see the cathedral still standing. For many Catholics, the coincidence of the blaze occurring at the start of Holy Week speaks of the greater mysteries of Easter.

While the church continues to shut down parishes in the Rust Belt, a new wave of immigrants is contributing to an urgent demand for more pews in the South and West.