World News

Catholic leaders and advocates are celebrating after Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey commuted the imminent execution of a man convicted in a 1991 murder during a robbery. Charles “Sonny” Burton was due to be executed by the state on March 12 over his conviction in the slaying of Doug Battle in Talladega on Aug. 16, 1991. ... read more

Gov. Kay Ivey said it would be “unjust” to execute Charles Burton because he did not actually commit the murder in question. The Alabama state capitol in Montgomery. | Credit: Susanne Pommer/Shutterstock Catholic leaders and advocates are celebrating after Alabama Gov. Kay ... read more

Synod on Synodality delegates in small groups listen to Pope Francis’ guidance on October 4, 2023. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA The final report of the Synod on Synodality’s study group “Women’s Participation in the Life and Leadership of the Church” raises the possibility of “reformulating” certain competencies and functions of priests, deacons, ... read more

New Africa ‘Law and Family’ COMMENTARY: No school counselor, government agency or ideology can replace the presence of an attentive and loving parent. ... read more

Fadel Itani A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in Beirut's southern suburbs overnight March 10 to 11, 2026. For former military commander and political figure Jirair Sefilian, who is advocating for the US to become Armenia’s strategic protector, the ongoing conflict could reshape the ... read more

The pontiff's public restraint in denouncing the conflict has opened space for other church leaders to lead that moral charge. So far, several cardinals have moved quickly to fill it.  ... read more

Amid a war weighing heavily on southern Lebanon with fear and destruction, a prayer of farewell rose from the town of Qlayaa for a priest who chose to remain beside his people until the very end. In the courtyard of St. George Church in a scene marked by tears, prayer, and hope, mourners bid farewell ... read more

In the courtyard of St. George Church, in a scene marked by tears, prayer, and hope, mourners bid farewell to a beloved priest who was killed after shelling struck his town. The funeral of Father Pierre El-Rahi at St. George Church in the town of Qlayaa in southern Lebanon. | ... read more

Amid a war weighing heavily on southern Lebanon with fear and destruction, a prayer of farewell rose from the town of Qlayaa for a priest who chose to remain beside his people until the very end. In the courtyard of St. George Church in a scene marked by tears, prayer, and hope, mourners bid farewell ... read more

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Spanish Augustinian Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín as papal almoner and prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who has led the office since 2022, will return to his native Poland as the new metropolitan archbishop of Łódź.Marín de San Martín, titular bishop of Suliana, ... read more

Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín will succeed Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who has been appointed metropolitan archbishop of Łódź, Poland. Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, papal almoner. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín Pope Leo XIV has ... read more

Paul Tuns: On Feb. 3, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons issued a new recommendation that so-called gender affirming surgery should not be carried out on minors until the age of 19, citing professional ethics and the lack of quality research supporting such surgeries as reasons for the new guidelines. The next day, ... read more

In legal first, a detransitioner successfully sued her medical care team Paul Tuns: On Feb. 2, a White Plains, N.Y., jury awarded Fox Varian $2 million in damages after her psychologist and plastic surgeon failed to properly treat her history of mental illness before approving of a surgical “gender-affirming” mastectomy and provide professional standards ... read more

Downtown Detroit. | Credit: Andrey Bayda/Shutterstock The Archdiocese of Detroit will require hundreds of employees and clergy to undergo fingerprinting under rules implemented by Archbishop Edward Weisenburger to ensure “the protection of children and vulnerable adults.” The archbishop said in a March 11 ... read more

The Archdiocese of Detroit will require hundreds of employees and clergy to undergo fingerprinting under rules implemented by Archbishop Edward Weisenburger to ensure “the protection of children and vulnerable adults.” The archbishop said in a March 11 letter to the archdiocese that upon taking the helm in Detroit in 2025 he accepted the responsibility of ... read more