To church’s dismay, Veracruz state approves bill decriminalizing abortion

Lawmakers in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz approved a bill decriminalizing abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. It was the second such decriminalization measure approved in Mexico in barely two weeks.

Polish nuns killed by Soviet army as World War II ended showed courage

Ten Polish nuns have been approved for beatification as martyrs 76 years after they were killed while resisting rape and facing other atrocities by Soviet soldiers in the final months of World War II.

Two Texas bishops say closing facilities would violate religious freedom

The bishops who head the El Paso and Dallas dioceses in Texas have asked Gov. Greg Abbott to halt an order that could result in shutting down, by the end of August, Catholic Charities facilities in Texas that care for foster and migrant children, saying that doing so violates state laws protecting religious freedom.

Indian Jesuits brace for fallout after U.S. military leaves Afghanistan

Indian Jesuits in Afghanistan are not sure what is in store for them as the strife-torn nation slips into conflict as the United States winds down operations after almost 20 years of war.

Pro-life groups criticize Catholic university for hosting Biden town hall

A few hours before CNN's evening town hall with President Joe Biden on the campus of a Cincinnati Catholic university, the congregation of women religious that founded the school said the sisters were not involved in planning or hosting the July 21 event.

USCCB program aims to engage diverse group of Catholic young adults

From uneven responses to the COVID-19 crisis to the raw racial tensions exposed by the death of George Floyd in 2020, Americans over the past year have become more conscious of the diversity of our population and the struggles that many different cultures experience on a day to day basis.

Fighting trafficking requires interventions of care, sisters say

Talitha Kum, the global network of women religious who advocate for and help victims of human trafficking, have launched a campaign to rally forces "to create long-term, sustainable change to dismantle the systems that enable oppression and exploitation."

Philippine weightlifter credits her Olympic success to her faith

Hidilyn Diaz became the Philippines' first Olympic gold medal winner, set an Olympic record -- and thanked her friends who prayed the Miraculous Medal novena. In a virtual news conference, the 30-year-old said she also prayed the novena and wore the medal.

Eucharist document should unite, not divide, the church, panelists advise

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in the middle of drafting a teaching document on the Eucharist, received words of advice from a panel convened July 28 to discuss the challenges facing the American church as it emerges from the coronavirus pandemic and seeks to overcome divisions that threaten church unity.

USCCB, Catholic groups, politicians back Mississippi in court abortion case

Catholic leaders, pro-life organizations, Republican members of Congress and several governors are among those on a long list of supporters backing Mississippi's ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy and urging the court to reexamine its previous abortion rulings when it takes up this case in the fall.