WASHINGTON – Catholics, often important swing voters in U.S. elections, are throwing their weight behind Democrat Hillary Clinton.

NEW YORK – When Donald J. Trump stepped over yet another invisible line of the contentious presidential race Oct. 20, many of the 1,500 people at 71st annual dinner of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation broke historic precedent to boo him.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton shared the stage at a charity dinner Thursday night, and while there were moments of civility between the two presidential candidates, at other times there seemed to be more hostility in the air than during the previous night’s debate.

As a native American, a Catholic and someone who still clings to the notion that character matters, I have found someone who is worthy of my vote. Abe Lincoln is not on the U.S. presidential ballot but I will write in his name.

WASHINGTON – In the final presidential debate Oct. 19, Republican Donald Trump used his most explicit language to date to denounce late-term abortions.

WASHINGTON – Emails released by WikiLeaks and allegedly hacked from the server of a top aide to Hillary Clinton have ignited a fierce exchange over the tone and content of the messages.

WASHINGTON – Hours before the Oct. 9 presidential debate began, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani invoked St. Augustine of Hippo on a Sunday morning political news show to defend the man he was supporting for president.

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM AZERBAIJAN – Catholics facing difficult political choices must study the issues, pray about the election and then vote according to their consciences, Pope Francis said.

NEW YORK – The campaign of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced Sept. 22 that it has formed a group of Catholic leaders to advise him "on those issues and policies important to Catholics and other people of faith in America."

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – In his 50 years of voting in U.S. elections, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said he has never seen the two major parties offer "two such deeply flawed" presidential nominees "at the same time."

WASHINGTON – On the campaign trail, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump recently referenced the increasing violence in Chicago, which reached an infamous milestone this summer: the most violent August the city has seen in 20 years.

WASHINGTON – America has 46.7 million people living in poverty, but there's been little talk on the presidential campaign trail about the needs of poor people.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine, recounting his work as a missionary and his role as a tenor in his Catholic church choir, cheered the efforts of a historically black Baptist denomination to get out the vote this election season.

PHILADELPHIA – Since the late 1970s, the political battle lines in the culture war have been clearly drawn and easily understood.

WASHINGTON – While most U.S. bishops have not publicly addressed comments from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump regarding immigration, a popular U.S. cardinal and advisor to the Pope said he is worried about such rhetoric.