The designation will continue for the next 18 months, and people may apply immediately.

The bishop who oversees Medjugorje has objected to Cardinal Christoph Schoborn's very public pilgrimage to the site.

The effort to give stockholders a “say on pay” gained traction in 2009 as 38 public companies said they would address compensation issues.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan said all the funds collected in New York would be routed through Catholic Relief Services.

Among those turning 75 this year is Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia.

Thailand’s Catholic aid agency was refused access to more than 4,000 ethnic Hmong asylum seekers as Thai soldiers arrived to deport them to Laos.