NATION/WORLD

For Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, the third annual Fortnight for Freedom is an opportunity to consider the link between religious liberty and service to the poor.

Catholics and Buddhists from five U.S. cities have issued a joint statement — a new, practical approach to interreligious dialogue — expressing their commitment to work together to help lift their communities out of poverty and remedy other social ills in their neighborhoods.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — A leaked draft rule from the Department of Health and Human Services exempting religious groups from the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act was welcomed by church officials and attorneys representing the Little Sisters of the Poor, one of the groups that challenged the mandate at the U.S. Supreme Court.

BALTIMORE (CNS) — Almost two months after the devastating winds and rains of Hurricane Maria pummeled the island of Puerto Rico, there is still no clear path to recovery.

MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — Four Irish bishops said abortion and same-sex marriage will be imposed on Northern Ireland after British politicians “hijacked” a bill intended for other purposes.

There's a lack of food, sanitation, medicines and even basic housing following the exodus of as many as 350,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. Pope Francis will visit both nations Nov. 27-Dec. 2.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Appealing to the world’s leaders and policymakers, Pope Francis called for protecting the unborn and seeing these new lives as people who will bring new beginnings and hope for the future.

The federal emergency "bridge loans" that dioceses, parishes and other Catholic entities applied for provided a lifeline, allowing "our essential ministries to continue to function in a time of national emergency."

Part social network and part crowdsourcing, the app lets museum fans communicate with each other, meet museum staff and make donations online.

Bishop William F. Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, explains that World Youth Day should be a pilgrimage, not a vacation.