As Caritas Pakistan workers entered the worst-hit areas in that country to assess damage, government officials reported that monsoon rains have devastated communities, claiming at least 78 lives.

Reality intruded darkly on a symposium on religious liberty in Washington when news alerts reported the killing of J. Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya.

The Missouri Legislature voted to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill meant to prevent employers or health insurance providers from being compelled to provide coverage for contraception, abortion or sterilization.

It is an ongoing criticism this election season that the problem of poverty in the United States is not being addressed by either campaign.

In an effort to comply more fully with international standards against financial criminal activity, the Vatican has hired an outside expert.

In an interview just before his death the Jesuit cardinal described the church as “200 years out of date” and said the pedophilia scandals “oblige” the church to begin “a journey of transformation.”