VATICAN CITY -- Sentencing someone to life in prison without the possibility of parole is "not the solution to problems, but a problem to solve," Pope Francis told Italian prison guards, prison chaplains and officials from the Ministry of Justice.

MANILA, Philippines – Catholic bishops in the Philippines broke what they described as their "collective silence" over "many disturbing issues" that have confronted the country in recent months.

SAO PAULO – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree in mid-January making it easier for Brazilians to purchase firearms. The decision sparked criticism from several groups in Brazilian society, including some in the Catholic Church.

VATICAN – Everyone must help in the fight against drugs, particularly governments which are called to confront the "traffickers of death" who produce, distribute or sell addictive substances, Pope Francis said.

I love making lists. It is how I fall asleep at night. Sometimes I try to name every baseball club and at least one player from each team, or think of 10 music albums I would bring with me should I ever be sent to an offshore penal colony or to the opera.

VATICAN – The Vatican press office confirmed news reports that human bones had been found during reconstruction work in a building connected to the Vatican Embassy to Italy.

SURREY, B.C. – After Paul caught his wife cheating on him, he flew into a fury that landed him in a correctional institution.

Memorials continue to grow as Cardinal Thomas Collins asks for prayers for the victims of a shooting spree on Toronto's Danforth Ave. on July 22 that claimed three lives, including a 10-year-old girl.

VATICAN – A Vatican court found Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, a former staff member at the Vatican nunciature in Washington, guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography.

TRENTON, N.J. – No motive "can justify these ongoing, seemingly relentless acts of gun violence plaguing our cities," Bishop David M. O'Connell of Trenton said after a mass shooting took place in the early morning hours of June 17 during a city arts festival.

VATICAN – A Vatican court indicted Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, a former staff member at the Vatican nunciature in Washington, and ordered him to stand trial beginning June 22 on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography.

TORONTO – Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins called for special prayers after a van jumped a curb and killed at least 10 people on a busy Toronto street.

A year ago, The Catholic Register printed an article of mine about writing to condemned prisoners. 

AUSTIN, Texas – As police investigated a series of package explosions in central Texas that killed two people and injured four others, two of the state's bishops said their thoughts and prayers were with the victims and families and friends of those victimized by the explosions.

MANILA, Philippines – In light of a spike in killings of suspected criminals, Philippine bishops appealed to law enforcement officials to use "reason and humanity."