Housing is a human right, especially for women, who often are solely responsible for the care and upbringing of children, a Vatican official said.

Roman Catholics and Anglicans should renew their commitments to praying and working for Christian unity, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, Nigeria, called for calm after a suicide car bomb struck a Catholic church on March 11.

In a letter to Congress, Bishop Stephen Blaire and Bishop Richard Pates supported moves to strengthen programs that help the poor and vulnerable at home and abroad.

Demographic data show the U.S. church is younger and more ethnically diverse, though increasingly Latino.

Attacks on Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia more than tripled between 2003 and 2010