In April the sultanate of Brunei became the first East Asian country to introduce the criminal component of Shariah law at the national level, raising concerns among Buddhist and Christian minorities. • Palestinian Christians welcomed the agreement between rival political factions Fatah an

Catholic Charities agencies were on the ground assessing damage after a series of storms with deadly tornadoes and massive floods swept through the southern United States on April 27-29. The storms killed 35 people, left thousands without power and razed homes and businesses.Arkansas and Mississippi

Canonizing two recent popes in the presence of his immediate predecessor, Pope Francis praised the new saints, John XXIII and John Paul II, as men of courage and mercy who responded to challenges of their time by modernizing the Catholic Church in fidelity to its ancient traditions. “They were

Pro-Russian protesters stormed government buildings in eastern Ukrainian cities.

South Sudan’s civil war has taken a brutal turn, despite appeals from the country’s church leaders to stop the violence. In the oil hub of Bentiu, rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer, killed more than 200 civilians and wounded more than 400 in mid-April, the

A small group of Teresian Carmelites from Kerala, India, began working in the Diocese of Bismarck, N.D., in February, the first time members of the congregation have served in the Western Hemisphere. • Jesuits in Honduras have demanded an investigation after Carlos Mejia Orellana, 35, marketing