Catholic News Service

Fr. Ferdinand Fanen Ngugban and six others died of gunshot wounds after armed gunmen invaded the grounds of St. Paul Parish in Ayetwar March 30, said the Diocese of Katsina-Ala.

Church membership in 2020 dropped to 47% of the more than 6,100 respondents to a Gallup Poll. It is the first time since the polling firm started measuring church membership in 1937 that a minority of adults said they belonged to a formal religious institution.

Asian and Pacific Islander Catholic groups and a number of Catholic bishops have joined their voices with others in calling for an end to violence and hate crimes against Americans of Asian and Pacific Island heritage.

Knowing that Rome would be under lockdown during Holy Week and Easter, Fr. Luigi D'Errico asked youngsters in his parish to draw illustrations and write a series of reflections. They were among those chosen for the Vatican's Way of the Cross meditations.

As the U.S. marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in April, the Diocese of San Jose, California, issued a statement March 29 in support of those communities, given a spate of crimes throughout the country targeting them.

A group of Catholic peacemakers who acted to symbolically disarm nuclear weapons at a Georgia naval submarine base in 2018 are the first recipients of a new award for Christian nonviolent action established by DePaul University.

After decades of criticism for its unabashed support of the Confederacy, "Maryland, My Maryland" is closer than ever to being removed as the official song of the "Free State."

Fr. David M. Knight, the oldest priest of the Diocese of Memphis, died in Guatemala March 21. He was 90.

The ruling noted that with Holy Week and Easter approaching, the Catholic archbishop of Washington sought emergency relief from regulations under the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Signaling further reforms of the Vatican City State penal code, particularly when it comes to financial crimes, Pope Francis said the laws must reflect "the equality of all members of the church."

Climate change and environmental destruction are forcing millions from their homes, and Catholics have a responsibility to assist them, Pope Francis wrote in the preface to a new document, "Pastoral Orientations on Climate Displaced People."

At least 114 people were killed by security forces March 27, the bloodiest day since the military seized power Feb. 1.

The Mexican bishops' migrant ministry says people arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border risk being returned to Mexico under rules for expelling people rapidly during the pandemic.

A suicide bomb attack on a Catholic cathedral compound in Makassar, Indonesia shattered the calm of Palm Sunday Mass, leaving two bombers dead and at least 20 people wounded.

A Christian life should be filled with amazement — astonishment at the son of God suffering and dying for humanity and awe at realizing how precious and loved people are in his eyes, Pope Francis said.

A former student at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary in the Vatican said he witnessed "dozens" of instances of abuse at the minor seminary.

The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world has shown steady growth, while the number of religious men and women continued to decrease, according to Vatican statistics.

While standing outside the prison that housed Virginia's execution chamber, Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation abolishing the death penalty in the state March 24.

Everyone is responsible for caring for the oceans, which are fundamental to supporting life on the planet, said speakers at a conference organized by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Pope Francis has named Cardinal Jose Advincula of Capiz to be the new archbishop of Manila.