The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world rose in 2022, while the number of seminarians, priests, men and women in religious orders, and baptisms declined, according to Vatican statistics.

A court has convicted a British army veteran of violating a “buffer zone” around an abortion clinic after he prayed silently within the boundary.

As the Synod of Bishops on synodality engaged in conversation on the church’s hierarchy, synod delegates examined the relationship between the local and universal church during a public theological and pastoral forum.

Pope Francis met a former prime minister of Israel and a former Palestinian foreign minister who believe they have a workable peace plan for the Holy Land.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has reached an agreement in principle worth $880 million to compensate more than a thousand decades-old claims of childhood sexual abuse.

ncouraging greater “synodal” practices in the Catholic Church should help the church find a greater balance between the power of the pope and the power of local bishops in their dioceses, said theologians participating in the Synod of Bishops.

Members of the synod on synodality are only moving along the paths where there is consensus, said a group of theologians assisting the synod.

Each year, churches around the world commemorate World Mission Sunday to highlight, encourage and promote the Catholic Church’s missions around the world.

The naming of a Japanese atomic bomb survivors group as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize recipient is “fitting … during this time of heightened geopolitical tension,” said Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, N.M., who has traveled to Japan on several peace pilgrimages and also released a 2022 pastoral letter on nuclear disarmament.

Pope Francis will create 21 new cardinals, including the Toronto prelate, at a consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica the afternoon of Dec. 7 and present them with their red hats.