The norms will include abuse and the "attempted ordination of women" among the list of most serious crimes against church law.

Pope Benedict XVI and his key advisers are facing a long, hot summer of problem-solving and strategizing.

Bishop Francisco Claver, S.J., a defender of civil rights, died on July 1 in Manila, Philippines.

Fresh intercommunity dialogue is needed to resolve the difficulties surrounding controversial parades in Northern Ireland, said a Catholic priest in Belfast.

More than 400 people packed the chapel of a La Salle Brothers' school near downtown Lima, Peru for a July 8 vigil in support of British Brother Paul McAuley, who has been threatened with expulsion from the country.

Countries can take steps to ward off the curse, but weak governments postpone the task as easy money rolls in.