Catholic News Service

Celebrating his 81st birthday, Pope Francis blew out the candles on a 13-foot long pizza after being serenaded with song and dance by children and employees from a Vatican pediatric clinic. 

A land dispute has driven some 5,000 indigenous Tzotzil from their communities and into the mountains to survive in cold and squalid conditions. At least nine people have died.

Christmas joy expressed through music brings a message of peace and brotherhood for those most in need, Pope Francis said. 

Lebanon's Christian and Muslim leaders denounced the "unjust" decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and demanded that it be reversed.

God shows his greatness through his tenderness toward his children like a loving father, Pope Francis said. 

A trio of Nigerian bishops condemned the enslavement of Nigerians who traveled to Libya for work, calling the practice a horrific abuse of human dignity.

Fr.  Enrique Herrera, pastor of a thriving farmworker parish in California's Salinas Valley, received Catholic Extension's 2017-2018 Lumen Christi Award Dec. 10.

Martial law in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao, originally aimed at quelling a terrorist attack in Marawi in May, has been extended for another year.

Pope Francis' decision to convene a Synod of Bishops dedicated to the Amazon is a sign of his desire for the choice to be a voice for the voiceless living in the region, a Brazilian archbishop said. 

Just like a plant needs sun and nourishment to survive, every Christian needs the light of Sunday and the sustenance of the Eucharist to truly live, Pope Francis said.

The appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which mirrored that of the indigenous people of the time, is a sign of Mary's closeness to those who are marginalized, Pope Francis said.

The Archdiocese of New York has resolved claims from 189 victims of clergy sexual abuse in the amount of $40 million.

Update: A federal judge denied a request from the Archdiocese of Washington for an emergency injunction over the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's advertising guidelines.

The Dec. 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe was added to the Byzantine Catholic calendar in 1999, one of only four feasts added in the past 20 years.

What Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich learned in visiting and talking to the people of Puerto Rico Dec. 3-6 is that "there's a lot of work to do, a lot of people suffering."

U.K. Catholic leaders urged the British government to accept more child refugees from northern France after reports that hundreds of young people are being forced to sleep outdoors in low temperatures.

Christians must be strong and let go of all the bitterness and negativity that prevent them from experiencing God's consolation and joy, Pope Francis said. 

The Italian and English translations of the "Our Father" can give believers the wrong impression that God can and does lead people into temptation, Pope Francis said.

The Vatican earned praise from Council of Europe experts for its updated legislation against money laundering and for its vigilance in flagging suspected cases, but the committee said the effectiveness of the Vatican efforts could not be proven until Vatican courts actually prosecuted someone for a crime.

Standing at the foot of a Marian statue, Pope Francis prayed Mary would help Christians develop the "antibodies" needed to fight the modern diseases of indifference, hypocrisy and fear of foreigners.