Only 48 residents of the Gaza Stripabout half as many as originally reportedwere able to attend the papal Mass in Bethlehem.

The 2,600-page report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse "throws light on a dark period of the past."

Catholic bishops elected by several mainland Chinese dioceses will have to be subjected to further scrutiny before they are consecrated.

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.

President Obama's recent proposal to open a new round of nuclear arms reduction talks with Russia has inspired hope among disarmament advocates.