The Rev. Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly, a 65-year-old Catholic priest and human rights activist, and the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do of Vietnam have been nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. Father Ly has been a prominent human rights defender since the 1970s, campaigning for religious freedom,

HHS is unwilling to accommodate for-profit corporations in the same way as religious institutions.

Caritas Internationalis, the church’s global charitable agency, is launching an appeal to help communities in the Central African Republic that are still reeling from attacks on towns and communities by rebels. The rebel forces started to advance in northeastern C.A.R. in December 2012. A ceas

A Romanian appeals court ordered the demolition of a recently completed 18-story office building in Bucharest, built in defiance of various stop-work orders, because of the threat it would pose to its neighbor, the Cathedral of St. Joseph, in the event of an earthquake. • Msgr. Kevin Wallin, 61

The measures were taken because of the past diocesan failures to protect children from abuse.

"The people are dissatisfied with the Islamist regime," one priest said.