Catholic News Service

Plenary or full indulgences traditionally obtained during the first week of November for the souls of the faithful in purgatory can now be gained throughout the entire month of November, the Vatican said.

The nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the Supreme Court will now go to the full Senate for a confirmation vote, which could take place Oct. 29. Only 51 votes are needed for confirmation.

The president of Focolare has accepted the resignations of the lay movement's top leaders in France and announced the group will ask an independent committee to investigate how allegations of the sexual abuse of minors have been handled.

Pope Francis has named Bishop Olivier de Germay of Ajaccio, Corsica, to be the new archbishop of Lyon, France, succeeding a cardinal whose conviction on charges of failing to report clerical sex abuse was overturned.

Paying tribute to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople for his contributions to the theology and spirituality of care for the environment, the Franciscan-run Pontifical University Antonianum awarded him an honorary doctorate.

Less than two weeks before the presidential election, a new poll indicated President Donald Trump has lost the so-called "Catholic vote" and that his nomination of a Catholic to the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, did nothing to change that equation.

Being indifferent to or hating others is to deny the existence of God's presence in one's neighbor, Pope Francis said.

A Caritas shelter located in Rome's Termini train station suspended activities after nearly half of its residents tested positive for COVID-19.

A Belarusian archbishop who has been denied entry back into his own country said the Vatican was doing everything in its power to resolve the situation and help him return.

After a federal judge sided with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in its court fight against the state's latest restrictions on houses of worship, the Brooklyn Diocese is considering its "appellate options."

A resident at the Casa Santa Marta, the residence where Pope Francis lives, tested positive for COVID-19, the Vatican announced.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear cases stemming from President Donald Trump's immigration policies related to financing border wall construction and the requirement that asylum-seekers remain in Mexico until their claims are processed.

The mission of the church and of all Christians is to proclaim and live the Gospel in daily life, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop accused of negligence after a documentary claimed he repeatedly transferred a priest accused of sexually abusing children.

The Catholic Church in Switzerland has backed legislation that would penalize companies that damage the environment or abuse human rights.

A new presidential poll issued Oct. 15 by the Pew Research Center shows Catholic former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, ahead by 10 percentage points, 52%-42%, over the Republican incumbent, President Donald Trump.

Repeating a call first made by St. Paul VI, Pope Francis urged a global move to divert money from national military spending and use it to "definitely defeat hunger."

As the world's attention is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and its dire economic consequences, the Vatican urged nations not to forget the people of Syria, who are still living in a situation of violence and extreme need.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to highlight the inequalities that exist in the world, humanity must change course and commit to an educational alliance that ensures a brighter future for young people, Pope Francis said.

San Francisco's archbishop plans to conduct an exorcism Oct. 17 at the site of a now-toppled statue of St. Junípero Serra at St. Rafael Mission Church in San Rafael.