Catholic bishops elected by several mainland Chinese dioceses will have to be subjected to further scrutiny before they are consecrated.
President Obama's recent proposal to open a new round of nuclear arms reduction talks with Russia has inspired hope among disarmament advocates.
The study reports that those who left the Catholic Church were more likely to have done so because they no longer believed in its teachings.
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja has said that the so-called religious violence between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria is not about religion.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that Venezuela and Cuba should be monitored for violations of religious freedom.
Homeowners carrying loans worth more than the current value of their homes, said one lawyer, would likely default again when loan modifications ended.