ROME – The Italian government's approval of a controversial bill that grants legal recognition to non-married heterosexual and homosexual couples is a defeat for democracy and family life, an Italian bishop said.

Jesus prays for the unity of Christians, but within the Church there are those who sow weeds (It: zizzanieri), those who divide and destroy the community with their tongues. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta.

Have you heard the one about the long-time politician preaching to Catholics about morals and obligations?

MANILA, Philippines – The head of the Philippine bishops' conference said it was time to "get up" and be faithful to God, as millions of Filipinos elected Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte president.

Good fences make good neighbours, wrote Robert Frost. But don’t try telling that to the bishop of Eisenstadt, Austria.

Pope Francis said on Friday that a Christian does not anesthetize or numb pain but lives through it in the hope that God will give us a joy that nobody can take away. That was the key message of the Pope’s homily at his morning Mass celebrated in the Santa Marta residence.

Seven months after Ontario’s new sex-ed curriculum arrived in Catholic schools, Ontario’s bishops are reminding teachers to stay true to Church teaching when addressing marriage, sexuality and gender.

COCHIN, India – One of the prominent female Catholic theologians in India said the Church has lost its identity as “Church of the poor.”

There is always resistance to the surprises of the Spirit, but it’s the Spirit who continues to lead the Church forward. That was Pope Francis’ message at Mass on Thursday at the Santa Marta chapel as he reflected on the reading about division and resistance within the early Church in Jerusalem.

WARSAW, Poland – Russia's Catholic Church has launched a joint project with Russian Orthodox leaders to rebuild churches and monasteries destroyed during the war in Syria.

VIENNA – An Austrian bishop said the government may not use Church property to build a border fence to keep out refugees.

EL PASO, Texas – Move aside pancake breakfast. La Tilma Mexican Grill has brought parish dining to a new level.

Pope Francis wants us to be the generation that will restore the future of the family and we must begin with ourselves.

The Jesuit Refugee Service has a very specific answer to Pope Francis’ call to put mercy on the leading edge of a Church reaching out to the peripheries. The answer is education.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Zambians are shocked and ashamed of the xenophobic violence in the capital, Lusaka, in which mostly Rwandans' homes and shops were ransacked, a Church official said.