This year’s Vatican Christmas tree is from the Wallonia region of Belgium.

The bill now before the Senate creates "new and completely unacceptable federal policy that endangers human life and rights of conscience,” three leading bishops said.

U.S. bishops plan to launch a postcard campaign in 2010 to urge Congress to make comprehensive immigration reform its next priority.

A critical factor will be the doctors' evaluation concerning the woman's mental state and whether or not she was "of sound mind."

"We simply cannot accept the continuation of a situation that is [most affecting] the people who have contributed least to the problem.”

A report describing in detail failures of church leaders in handling sexual abuse cases in the Archdiocese of Dublin has resulted in calls for further investigations.