The Vatican is hosting a three-day symposium on the Catholic priesthood amid renewed public attention on clergy sex abuse scandals involving both children and adults and fresh research into the abuses of priestly power.

Enrollment in Catholic schools in the United States rose 3.8 percent from the previous academic year, rebounding from a sharp drop caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Rev. Bryan Massingale is a Black, openly gay Catholic priest. His goal: convert the hearts of the faithful to recognize racism in the church and welcome L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics.

CatholicVote, an independent political advocacy group, has filed a lawsuit seeking information about how the government and church-affiliated groups have gone about “facilitating a record surge in illegal immigration.”

Pope Francis will visit Malta from April 2-3, a Vatican spokesman said. More than 90 percent of the country’s 460,000 people profess to be Catholic.

In the letter, Pope Francis “speaks as a shepherd, as a brother” and “expressed once again his complete trust, his full support and also his prayers,” said the secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein.