Catholic News Service

Prayer is not a magic wand or a way to ask God to be at one's service, Pope Francis said.

Burglars have stolen a set of golden rosary beads that once belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots.

George Floyd's death while in police custody a year ago left "a hole in the hearts of his family and friends" and "a hole in the fabric of our society," said the director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd May 25, the first anniversary of Floyd's death in Minneapolis.

The Syriac Catholic patriarch said the situation in Syria "continues to be humanly unbearable and devastating" and risks emptying the war-torn country of its Christian community for good.

Welcoming the Italian bishops' decision to begin planning a national synod, Pope Francis told them that it must begin at the grassroots with "the smallest parish, the smallest diocesan institution."

Authorities in northern China have arrested a Vatican-appointed Catholic bishop, his seven priests and 10 seminarians in what is seen as part of a renewed crackdown on the underground Catholic Church in the communist country.

Pope Francis has ordered the minor seminary that is located inside the Vatican and currently at the center of a criminal sex abuse trial to move to a new location in Rome before classes begin in the fall.

Haitians with a special immigration status in the U.S. have been granted an extension so that they can continue to live and work legally in the country, or apply to do so.

Do not let a complex organizational hierarchy stifle creativity, Pope Francis told the Vatican's communications office.

Catholics around the world have their eyes on Germany as it works for change through its "Synodal Path," which is debating the issues of power, sexual morality, priestly life and the role of women in the church.

"We must use the moral strength of the U.S. to support a nonviolent and sustainable solution in the region," the six U.S. Franciscan provincials said in a letter to Joe Biden. "The U.S. is a key player in finding such a solution rooted in justice, respect for basic human rights and international law."

The Barcelona Archdiocese in Spain will combine most parishes into larger pastoral communities, amid falling church attendance and secularization.

The Holy Spirit's gift of comfort and solace is meant to unite all men and women and not take sides with any ideology, Pope Francis said on Pentecost.

Since President Joe Biden took office Jan. 20 and began shifting federal priorities toward achieving a greener country and addressing environmental justice in poor, minority and Indigenous communities, faith-based organizations see a new opening for cooperation and dialogue.

The Spanish bishops' conference expressed concern that migrants were being used to exert political pressure after a sudden influx of migrants in the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla increased tensions between Spain and Morocco.

Fifteen seminaries have committed to meeting five sexual misconduct policy benchmarks developed by a group of laypeople, seminary leaders and bishops.

After an octogenarian priest was swindled out of more than $450,000 over a two-year period and threatened when he stopped giving the "family" money, the Diocese of Padua, Italy, launched a continuing formation program for priests focused on financial accountability and avoiding scams.

Lawmakers and leaders of the faith-based Poor People's Campaign unveiled a sweeping new resolution on May 20 designed to eradicate poverty in the U.S.

When Pope Francis decided to cut the pay of Vatican employees, it was mostly welcomed as a positive effort. But some employees said the measures are disproportionate and aggravate existing systems of privileges.

As more Europeans are vaccinated and coronavirus cases continue to decrease, organizers of the upcoming 52nd International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest, Hungary, are optimistic that pilgrims will be able attend the event in September in person rather than online.