VATICAN CITY – The health of the Catholic Church can be measured in many ways, and the Vatican has a special office just for that purpose.

HONG KONG – A Chinese bishop who avoided government intervention in the affairs of his diocese died without having his Vatican-appointed successor officially ordained, illustrating some of the complications of the situation of bishops in China.

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania’s lower house of parliament has overwhelmingly approved a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

TAMPA, Florida – Funded by a parish in Florida, a new Catholic church is being built in Cuba and is the first the island nation has seen in 60 years.

VATICAN CITY – When it comes to Marian apparitions, the Catholic Church takes a prudent approach that focuses more on the message than the miracle.

VATICAN CITY – Existing in some form since several hundred years before Christ, the Latin language seems like an unlikely subject to still be generating brand new research, especially among young scholars.

OTTAWA – Vera Shroff has been fascinated by Catholicism since she was a little girl in India, despite being raised in one of the world’s most ancient religions.

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – At the urging of Catholic leaders, El Salvador has passed a law banning metal mining nationwide, making the small Central American country the first in the world to outlaw the industry.

Every so often, I get questioning looks directed at the cross hanging from my neck. Sometimes, people are curious to know what that wooden symbol means.

WASHISNGTON – Amid war and famine in South Sudan, the Catholic Church is still serving the most vulnerable even as the government has collapsed.

CARACAS, Venezuela – A series of attacks and confrontations against Catholics in Venezuela has marked a renewed deterioration of relations between the church and the national government. Some church leaders have openly speculated that the events could form part of a broader, coordinated campaign.

The Philippines stands poised to reinstate the death penalty after it was put on hold 11 years ago. The church in the Philippines, which has grown more vocal in recent months, continues to oppose the measure that passed the Philippine House on the third and final reading March 7 and is widely expected to move quickly through the Senate. This latest version specifically targets drug crimes.

MANILA, Philippines – Caught in the throes of a brutal war on drugs, the people of the Philippines are increasingly looking to the Catholic Church to provide refuge and resistance.

OXFORD, England – A spokesman for Egypt's Catholic Church praised local Muslims for helping embattled Christians after a series of Islamic State attacks in Sinai.

BOULDER, Col. – For Erika Bachiochi, the Catholic Church has been able to offer a genuine pro-woman theology which not only safeguards and protects her stance as a feminist, but also enhances her ability to be strong in all aspects of her life.