Associated Press

A report on decades of clergy sexual abuse in Germany that shone an unflattering spotlight on retired Pope Benedict XVI has added to already strong pressure there for the church to reconsider Catholic rules on issues including homosexuality and women's roles.

Pope Francis on Sunday decried the genital mutilation of millions of girls and the trafficking of women for sex, including openly on city streets, so others can make money off of them.

Spain's prime minister wants to task the nation's ombudsman with the country's first official investigation into the depth of sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic clergy.

Pope Francis has notched a new first in his nearly nine-year-old papacy — an appearance as a TV talk show guest.

A prominent German archbishop advocated loosening celibacy rules for Catholic priests in comments published Feb. 3 before a meeting of a German reform assembly.

An Italian appeals court has definitively annulled the arrest warrant for the prime suspect in the Vatican's big fraud and embezzlement trial. 

Pakistani police widened their manhunt Monday for two unidentified assailants who shot and killed a Christian priest and wounded another the previous day in the country's northwest.

The head of Cyprus’ Orthodox Christian Church said Sunday that he will suspend a dozen priests from his diocese because they refused to heed his call to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The archbishop of Munich said Thursday that the Catholic church needs deep reform to overcome the "disaster" of sexual abuse.

The Vatican strongly defended Pope Benedict XVI's record in fighting clergy sexual abuse and cautioned against looking for "easy scapegoats and summary judgments".

A cardinal indicted in the Vatican's big fraud and embezzlement trial has issued a formal protest to the court claiming the pope's prosecutors had offended his dignity by suggesting he was having sex with a co-defendant.

 More than 120 employees of the Catholic Church in Germany publicly outed themselves as queer on Monday.

The body representing Catholic bishops in Spain has acknowledged that nearly 1,000 real estate properties across the country were registered as possessions of the Church despite having no proof of ownership.

Arriving by the busloads, thousands of anti-abortion protesters rallied in the nation's capital Friday with a growing sense of optimism that their goal was finally in reach: a sweeping rollback of abortion rights.

Pope Francis vowed to provide justice to victims of clergy sexual abuse.

The Vatican has included a group that advocates for women's ordination on a website promoting a two-year consultation of rank-and-file Catholics.

A long-awaited report on sexual abuse in Germany's Munich diocese on Jan. 20 faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI's handling of four cases when he was archbishop in the 1970s and 1980s. The law firm that drew up the report said that Benedict strongly denies any wrongdoing.

A top leader of the Knights of Malta warned the group's members on Wednesday that the Holy See's latest proposals to reform the order threaten its internationally recognized status as a sovereign state

Pope Francis issued a plea on behalf of prison inmates, saying they should never be deprived of hope and always be given the opportunity to redeem themselves.

Italy’s supreme court has faulted prosecutors for withholding evidence benefiting the key suspect in the Vatican’s fraud and embezzlement trial in a parallel case in the Italian courts.