Hundreds of thousands of cheering people welcomed Pope Francis to Brazil July 22 as he made the first international trip of his pontificate to his native region of Latin America.The papal plane touched down at Rio's international airport at 3:43 p.m. local time, and the pope emerged 18 minutes l

New law prohibits abortions after 20 weeks, increases regulation of doctors and clinics.

"This pope is very determined," Cardinal Kasper said. "He knows what he wants."

Catholics need to put aside "any partisan differences" they have on the immigration issue and come together to pray for the welfare of their brother and sister immigrants and for Congress to pass much-hoped-for comprehensive immigration reform, said Bishop David M. O'Connell of Trenton

Coordinators in Rio de Janeiro are preparing for up to 2.5 million people.

A vote will be held on the canonization of John XXIII, even in the absence of a miracle.

Two major decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court in the final week of its term left deep divisions among citizens across the country as the court ruled on the neuralgic issues of voting rights and same-sex marriage. On two consecutive days the court invalidated a key part of the Voting Rights Act and o

The final rules issued on June 28 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services implementing its mandate that employers provide coverage of contraceptives “will require more careful analysis,” New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said in a statement. The H.H.S. final ruling updates p

Pope Francis has created a five-person commission to review the activities and mission of the Vatican bank. The new pontifical commission, which includes two U.S. members, reflects the pope’s desire to ensure the bank’s activities are in harmony with the mission of the universal church a

Three months into his papacy the total number of followers of the pope’s nine Twitter accounts was more than 6.9 million. • For the first time the Davenport, Iowa-based Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award is being taken overseas, to France, where it will be presented on July 7 to Jean