RTÉ aired two documentaries in January looking at the decline of the Catholic Church in Ireland: “The Last Priests in Ireland” and “The Last Nuns in Ireland.” But signs of hope can still be discerned amid the decline after years of church turbulence.

Like much of Liam Callanan’s fiction, 'When in Rome' hints at the action of divine grace in people’s lives and how the protagonists come to understand and appreciate its beneficence.

From a Catholic point of view, there is good reason to look askance at some of the “false promises” coming out of Davos, including the idea that better technology and the economic system as it is can deal with global poverty, inequality and care of creation.

The Christmas fair in Madrid was the work of Fundación Contemplare, a nonprofit set up to help Spain’s monasteries continue a legacy of gourmet baked goods and handmade candies but also, more importantly, to support contemplative life and reconnect monasteries with the world around them.

Global reaction among bishops to the Vatican’s declaration that priests may now bless same-sex couples appears most divergent in some European and African nations.

“The expectations, the preparations for the reopening are a magnificent sign of hope in a difficult world,” the Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, Notre-Dame’s rector, said.