The convicted killer of Sister Dorothy Stang, a missionary to Brazil from the United States, withdrew his request for a new trial on Dec. 9.

Cardinal Cahal Daly was remembered for his "sustained efforts in the promotion of justice and peace in Northern Ireland."

A total of four bishops have now resigned as a result of a recent report on how the Dublin Archdiocese covered up allegations of clerical sex abuse.

"We shall discover the meaning of Christmas in a quiet way and hope for the return of harmony and peace,” said Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore.

“I think he’s making a tragic and horrible mistake,” said David Robinson, head of Pax Christi USA.

The Senate bill "should not move forward in its current form," the heads of three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said on Dec. 19.