News/International

St. John Paul II greets the crowd in Czestochowa during his 1979 trip to Poland. The country's bishops March 15, 2023, announced they will create a commission of experts to investigate cases of abuse of minors by clergy from the past -- an investigation that would cover the era that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the future pope, governed the Archdiocese of Krakow.

Polish bishops form independent commission to investigate 'full picture' of JPII archives

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The bishops of Poland March 14 announced they will create a commission of experts to investigate cases of abuse of minors by clergy from the past in the country -- an investigation that would cover the era that St. John Paul II governed the Archdiocese of Krakow as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla.

A man puts a sign on the door of the Silicon Valley Bank as an onlooker watches at the bank’s headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., March 10, 2023.

Bank failures underscore 'obligation' for prudence

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After the failures of two banks in March, the U.S. government has taken steps to prevent similar failures and the risks such failures would present to the economy. The precarious situation illustrates what one Catholic commentator described as the need for government and banks to take seriously the "solemn obligation" of prudence in banking policy for the sake of society's common good.

People attend the fifth synodal assembly in Frankfurt March 9, 2023. The final assembly will conclude March 11 after discussing issues including blessings for homosexual couples, ordination of women, a relaxation of mandatory celibacy and more church involvement for lay people.

Resolutions of German Synodal Assembly support laity to preach at Mass, church blessings of same-sex couples

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The final assembly of the German Synodal Way took place in Frankfurt March 9-11, where 230 bishops and lay representatives discussed issues such as blessings for homosexual couples, the ordination of women, a relaxation of mandatory celibacy and greater church involvement for lay people.

Bagpipers march past St. Mary Church during the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in East Islip, N.Y., March 5. The feast of St. Patrick, patron of Ireland, is March 17.

Bishops add spiritual ‘meat’ to St. Patrick’s Day plate

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With St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Lenten Friday this year, many U.S. bishops have issued dispensations from abstinence on March 17, allowing the faithful to enjoy the American Irish tradition of eating corned beef (or ham) and cabbage in good conscience.

As bishop of Krakow in the 1960s, Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was a prolific writer. He is pictured in an undated photo.

Polish experts reject claim JPII 'covered up abuse,' urge all church records be opened

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The fact that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla -- the future Pope John Paul II -- knew about abuse when he was an archbishop of Krakow, Poland, is neither new nor surprising, experts say.

Former cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick arrives at Dedham District Court in Dedham, Mass., Sept. 3, 2021, after being charged with molesting a 16-year-old boy during a 1974 wedding reception. McCarrick, who is trying to escape criminal charges by claiming dementia, told a reporter Feb. 28, 2023, he recalled the name of the man he allegedly sexually abused as a child but denied the sexual assaults.

McCarrick admits knowing victim as a child, denies sexual assaults

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Disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, whose attorneys have argued he should not stand trial due to "progressive and irreparable cognitive deficits," recalled the name of the man he allegedly sexually abused as a child, although he denied the sexual assaults.

Volunteers with Caritas Lebanon's Emergency Response Unit (in black) are seen with members Caritas Syria (with tan vests) as they help with relief operations during the Lebanon group's Feb. 9-16, 2023, trip to neighboring Syria to assist victims of the devastating Feb. 6 earthquake.

Catholic aid groups network to serve needs of Turkey, Syria quake survivors

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Catholic aid agencies are working alongside other international humanitarian organizations to house, feed and administer additional life-saving assistance to tens of thousands of people in Syria and Turkey.

A cardinal holds his biretta as Pope Francis celebrates Mass with new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Nov. 29, 2020. Two U.S. prelates have recently traded what one called some "strong words" in the media, debating the reception of holy Communion, sexual sin, pastoral outreach to marginalized Catholics and allegations of heresy among church leadership.

U.S. prelates spar in the media over the Eucharist, 'radical inclusion' and 'heresy'

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Two U.S. prelates have recently traded what one called some "strong words" in the media, debating the reception of holy Communion, sexual sin, pastoral outreach to marginalized Catholics and allegations of heresy among church leadership.

Metropolitan Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia says Ukraine is “the wounded victim we stand over today.”

Churches must lead path to healing in Ukraine, experts say

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The "Cosmic Cliffs" of the Carina Nebula are seen in an image released by NASA July 12, 2022. The "cliffs" are divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. The image is from data provided by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, a revolutionary apparatus designed to peer through the cosmos to the dawn of the universe. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes.

Newly discovered ancient galaxies put spotlight on 'Big Bang Theory,' God's act of creation

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Robert Jastrow, the NASA astronomer, planetary physicist and popular author who decoded the complexities of space for a generation of Americans until his passing in 2008, told the witty tale of a scientist whose life was ruled by faith in the power of reason. Ultimately arriving at the highest peak in his quest to conquer the mountains of ignorance, the scientist scales the final summit -- only to find himself "greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

A forklift transports an ancient column from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to the archeology wing of the Franciscan Terra Santa Museum in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Archeologists’ race against time in Jerusalem

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One of Israel’s leading archeologists working on the Pilgrimage Road excavation near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount said that with so much new construction underway around the Holy City the rush is on to document and preserve the past before it’s too late.

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