MANILA, Philippines – A Philippine cardinal has urged the faithful of his country to tell their lawmakers that the death penalty does not deter violent crime, could potentially legitimize violence and that life is a gift from God.

MANILA, Philippines – Catholic leaders have spoken out against a drug war that has left thousands dead, and the Philippines' new president is not taking the criticism well.

MANILA, Philippines – The Archdiocese of Manila will build a rehabilitation centre for drug dependents amid Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, in which more than 6,000 people have been killed.

MANILA, Philippines – The emergency response to a major typhoon that hit the northern Philippines Christmas Day and killed at least six people was slowed because some government and aid workers were on holiday leave, a Catholic Relief Services official said.

MANILA, Philippines – A southern Philippines church that was yards away from a police car bombing Christmas Eve was to have tighter security for the coming New Year's weekend, said the priest who was celebrating Mass when the explosion occurred.

MANILA, Philippines – Catholic prayer and protests greeted proposals to expand the use of the death penalty in the Philippines, with the move drawing outspoken opposition from the country's bishops.

MANILA, Philippines – As protests erupted, church leaders criticized the secret hero's burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos, the dictator ousted in the 1986 People Power revolution.

KIDAPAWAN, Philippines – Justice is slow in the Philippines, but Father Peter Geremia is running out of patience as he awaits justice for the killers of a fellow priest.

MANILA, Philippines – As Filipinos remembered their departed on All Souls' Day, the country's church leaders called on the faithful to also pray for those who fell victim in the government's all-out war against illegal drugs.

A day after Typhoon Haima moved out to sea, the Caritas network in the Philippines is swinging into action.

With eight dead and towns and villages once again covered in debris, Filipinos are turning to their Church for help as they dig out after Super Typhoon Haima smashed into the northern Philippines Oct. 19 with sustained winds of 225 kilometres per hour and gusts of 315.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine bishops' conference president has lamented "the slow erosion of Filipino values" as the Southeast Asian archipelago presses on with its war on drugs that has killed thousands.

MANILA, Philippines – The head of the Philippine bishops' conference set "ethical guidelines" against proposals to reinstate the death penalty as the country's war on drugs continues, with body counts increasing daily.

MANILA, Philippines – As the body count rises in the Philippines' war on drugs, a Catholic priest is trying to create a space where healing takes precedence over killing.

MANILA, Philippines – A Catholic bishop in the southern Philippines is backing a military campaign against Abu Sayyaf militants, who claim to have links with the Islamic State group.