Congress must find ways to continue unemployment compensation to protect jobless workers and their families, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

November unemployment numbers released on Dec. 2 indicated a decrease in joblessness from 9 percent to 8.6 percent.

In every region of the country, death sentences have declined, which eventually will affect the number of executions.

Sixty-six percent of Catholic Charities agencies saw an increase in requests for assistance from families with children.

The team will also be responsible for the further study of liturgical music and singing.

Pope Benedict XVI urged international leaders meeting in Durba, South Africa to reach a credible agreement on climate change.

The move marks a break with a cluster of recent ordinations made without Vatican consent.

Bevilacqua’s longtime secretary for clergy, Msgr. William Lynn, right, is charged with felony child endangerment and conspiracy.

Oregon’s Gov. John Kitzhaber pledged to maintain a moratorium on the death penalty for the rest of his term.

Otto Pérez Molina, a retired general with a controversial past, has been elevated to the presidency.