"The suspension offers the Bishop an opportunity for pastoral discernment for the good of the diocese and for the good of Father Rothrock.”

"If right and proper words were considered against their law, I will endure all the suing, trials and arrests. Numerous predecessors have endured similarly," the 88-year-old cardinal said.

Polish Catholics have appealed to Pope Francis for help in "rebuilding" the Polish church amid the continuing controversy over that country's episcopate mishandling of the sex abuse crisis.

Sister Helen Prejean, a long-time advocate of abolishing the death penalty, has said that the Supreme Court has "abdicated its legal and moral responsibilities" in allowing executions to proceed in various cases.

A Federal judge has ruled that the restrictions on how many people may gather for church services in New York state cannot be enforced as it presently stands as it is far more stricter than the protocols for comparable secular gatherings.

The court upheld a Montana scholarship program that allows state tax credits for private schooling.