New leader of Jesuits in western U.S. described as humble, zealous

The new leader of Jesuits in the western United States is both a champion and student of migrants.

Pope addresses Vatican reforms aimed at curbing corruption, abuse

While financial reforms in the Vatican are progressing steadily, cases involving corruption and malfeasance in the Eternal City are "a disease that we relapse into," Pope Francis said.

Holiness does not come from following rigid rules, pope says

Redemption is the work of God, not of human beings, so be careful and do not listen to "fundamentalists" who claim holiness comes through following certain laws, Pope Francis said during his weekly general audience.

After Afghanistan withdrawal, pope denounces attempts to impose democracy

In his first interview since undergoing surgery in July, Pope Francis criticized Western attempts to impose democracy on other countries in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal in Afghanistan.

As U.S. presence in Afghanistan ends, Catholics call to welcome refugees

As Aug. 30 ended in the U.S. and a new day began in a different time zone in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 31, 2021, the U.S. Central Command released a green-tinted photo of a soldier about to get on a cargo plane, a photographic coda to seal the historic moment that put an end to nearly two decades of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.

Laywoman assumes high position at Vatican’s Latin America commission

Pope Francis appointed Argentine theologian Emilce Cuda as the new head of office of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a position she assumes Sept. 1. A laywoman and mother of two, Cuda will work with the new secretary, Rodrigo Guerra López, a Mexican philosophy professor and also a layman.

Mexican bishops express solidarity with migrants as caravan is disrupted

Mexican church leaders expressed solidarity with a caravan of migrants that was disrupted by security forces. Their reaction came after nationwide outrage about videos that surfaced showing an immigration agent kicking a migrant in the head.

Not all ‘eventualities’ considered in Afghanistan withdrawal, pope says

The chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan was due in part to a lack of foreseeing all possible eventualities, Pope Francis said in a new interview.

Dioceses emerge from Hurricane Ida’s wrath as others prepare to help

Catholic Charities in and around the areas of Louisiana and Mississippi affected by Hurricane Ida -- one of the most powerful storms to hit the continental U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 -- are collecting donations as they prepare to help with the yet-unknown damage caused by the late August storm.

Religious minorities, women fear Afghanistan’s Taliban, other extremists

The 20-year American military presence in Afghanistan had hoped to bring stability and an end to its use as a terrorist sanctuary, but the tumultuous exit has laid open fears for the future, particularly for religious minorities and women, at the hands of the Taliban and other religious extremists.