A Reflection for the Feast of St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr, by Brigid McCabe

More than half a million people formally left the Catholic Church in Germany last year, significantly higher than the previous record as the church wrestles with a long-running scandal over abuse by clergy.

Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tenn., and Bishop Joseph Strickland, of Tyler, Tex., have both been subject to apostolic visitations recently. Here’s what we do (and don’t) know about the Vatican interventions.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi will be in Moscow June 28-29 “as the envoy of Pope Francis,” the Vatican announced today, on the second stage of a mission to explore ways to help bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

Bishop Richard F. Stika of Knoxville, 65, has resigned from pastoral governance of the diocese, after he has faced media interest in alleged sexual abuse cover-up and financial mismanagement.

In this week's Preach, for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., speaks with Father Josh Whitfield, a formerly Episcopalian, now Catholic priest, husband and father of five, about preaching.

Speculation surrounding the return to Germany of Georg Gänswein is continuing unabated, not least because his status remains unclear now that he has been sent away from the Vatican.

The Argentine bishops knew for certain as early as 1979 that it was the military junta’s official policy to “disappear” people in order to quash opposition. The Vatican urged the bishops’ conference to intervene using all possible means.

Since February, Pope Francis has appointed four men under age 60 to lead major archdioceses around the world, in what have widely been viewed as efforts to shore up his legacy.

A Reflection for Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, by Zac Davis