Catholic News Service

Two European Catholic commissions warned that Arctic warming is intensifying competition over the region's resources and urged tougher policies to protect its biodiversity and Indigenous communities.

Cardinal John Dew of Wellington has asked for an independent investigator to determine whether the late bishop of Dunedin took proper action when he received complaints of sexual abuse.

A Nicaraguan priest said Hurricane Iota hit the northeastern corner of the country with "more force" than Hurricane Eta two weeks earlier and left communities devastated and families homeless.

There is no better way to pray than like Mary, who opened her heart to God with humility and trust, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis has named Fr. David J. Bonnar, pastor of St. Aidan Parish in Wexford, Pennsylvania, to be bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio.

The U.S. bishops approved a budget for the year 2021 that has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The vote was 193-1 with four abstentions.

Although the U.S. bishops' four-year strategic plan was adopted one year ago, it was not scheduled to go into effect until January 2021. That gave the bishops a window to address two issues that have captured the world's attention since last November: the coronavirus pandemic and racial inequality.

The bishops of Peru have launched an initiative not only to confront the challenges facing the country due to the coronavirus pandemic but also to confront the pandemics of corruption, indifference and exclusion plaguing the country, said Peruvian Cardinal Pedro Barreto of Huancayo.

A senior official of Jesuit Refugee Service called for a humanitarian corridor in Ethiopia's semi-autonomous region of Tigray as the armed conflict between the Ethiopian army and the region's forces continued to escalate, killing hundreds and forcing thousands out of their homes.

The U.S. bishops renewed the mandate of their Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism for a second three-year term.

"Before going on medical leave, I tried to overcome my depression and anxiety on my own," Conley said. "I've learned that this is simply not possible. Mental health problems are real health problems. And as with any illness, you cannot fix it yourself; you need the care of others.

Msgr. Jeffrey D. Burrill, a priest of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, is the new general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Martha Hennessy was sentenced Nov. 13 to 10 months in prison for breaking into Kings Bay Naval Base in Georgia two years ago to protest its stockpile of nuclear weapons.

A federal judge ruled Nov. 14 that the suspension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, announced this past summer by the Department of Homeland Security, was invalid because the agency's top official, Chad Wolf, did not legally hold his position when he issued the order.

With the U.S. bishops conducting their annual fall general meeting virtually, the papal nuncio to the United States told them they must join in the "Challenge of Healing the World."

Protesters say St. Junipero Serra, the statues's subject, mistreated indigenous people in what is today California as a missionary.

Polish Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz, retired archbishop of Wroclaw, died Nov. 16, just 10 days after the publication of Vatican disciplinary measures against him related to sexual abuse.

The recent conviction of a former Salvadoran colonel for the murder of five Spanish Jesuit priests during the civil war in El Salvador is a major step forward on the path of gaining justice and healing old wounds, Cardinal Michael Czerny said.

The diocese is challenging Cuomo's order on religious freedom grounds. COVID-19 cases have surged nationwide in November, leading to new restrictions on businesses.

Being faithful to God means taking the risk of setting aside one's own needs and plans in order to serve others, Pope Francis said, celebrating Mass for the World Day of the Poor.