The new papal commission for protecting minors from clerical sex abuse will recommend stricter standards for accountability of abusers and those who fail to protect children, and will fight widespread denial of the problem within the church, said Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, O.F.M.Cap., of Bosto

When Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople meets Pope Francis in Jerusalem on May 25, one of their main discussion topics will be the “diminishing Christian minorities in the Middle East,” the patriarch told Catholic News Service. • The Catholic bishops’ conf

An Irish priest who was forbidden to write by the Vatican because of his views on human sexuality has had the sanction lifted. The moral theologian Sean Fagan, 86, a Marist priest, had been subject to sanction by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for the last six years. The superior gen

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

Voters express hope for a change in leadership and greater stability after elections.