Pope Francis once again urged solidarity with migrants who risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe; and during his general audience on Feb. 11, he assured prayers for the victims of a deadly crossing. The pope was responding to reports on Feb. 9 that 29 migrants had died of h

Ever since the days of pioneer homesteaders, the Sisters of Loretto have lived amid the rolling hills of central Kentucky. They taught in rural schools, still operate a corn and soybean farm and offer retreats on their 780 acres of prime agricultural land.The sisters would have liked to continue qui

More than two dozen undocumented students at Catholic colleges sent a letter on Feb. 5 to 79 members of Congress who graduated from Catholic schools, urging them not to cut off funding for the president’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. • Church leaders criticized the arre

Assisted suicide is legal in only four states currently, but several other jurisdictions are considering legislation on the practice. A California bill resembles the Oregon law approved by voters there in 1994, but it has some significant differences. The California proposal does not include a consc

‘The accountability of bishops is a source of great concern” to the 17 members of the Commission for the Protection of Minors, said Cardinal Seán O’Malley, O.F.M.Cap., leader of the Archdiocese of Boston and the president of the body, at a Vatican press briefing on Feb. 7.Marie Co

A recent International Monetary Fund initiative should ease the economic emergency in West African states most affected by the Ebola epidemic, but it will also serve as a template for responding to similar crises in the future, said Eric LeCompte, executive director of the Washington-based Jubilee U