Brown believes the decision on abortion “should ultimately be made by the woman in consultation with her doctor.”

Restoring the devastated infrastructure of the church in Haiti will take years, said Archbishop José H. Gómez, head of the bishops' office for Latin America.

The massive amount of aid pouring into the country is dwarfed by the overwhelming needs of people who lost their homes, families, jobs and possessions.

A pastoral letter said major sporting events often see "systems put in place to satisfy the demand for paid sex."

The bishops urged both Palestinians and Israelis to support public officials who “take courageous initiatives for a just resolution of the conflict."

The pope responded to the widespread impression that Pope Pius XII did not do enough to speak out against the Holocaust.