Iowa has enacted a law defining “sex” as male or female, with “gender” as a synonym, while removing gender identity protections from its code, making that state the first to do so.

The U.S. bishops urged Catholics to answer Pope Francis’ call for prayer for the people of Ukraine in their Lenten reflection as that nation fends off Russia’s invasion.

Pope Francis suffered “two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency” March 3 but remained alert, the Vatican said, giving cause for concern after two days in which his condition was described as “stable.”

Ukrainian bishops spoke up as international reaction continued over U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s Feb. 28 televised White House clash with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

One of the most serious emergencies today is that the world forgets about and does not attend to the common good and the needs of regular people, especially poor people, the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life said.

Pope Francis has chosen “Migrants, missionaries of hope” as the theme for the Catholic Church’s celebration of World Day of Migrants and Refugees, linking the world day to the Jubilee message of hope.

Pope Francis’ extended hospitalization and care is a reminder that every human being, especially the frail or elderly, must be given proper care, said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

As he continues to receive treatment in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, Pope Francis sent written thanks for people’s prayers, but he did not go to his hospital window as some people had hoped.

A mere three months after Notre Dame Cathedral reopened, some Catholics in France worry the massive influx of tourists has overshadowed its religious essence.

To help give clarity to the work Catholic Charities does in assisting migrants and refugees in the area, Today’s Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, spoke to Luz Ostrognai, director of Catholic Charities’ immigration services program. Ostrognai, a native of Colombia, has been practicing immigration law in Fort Wayne since 2003. The interview has been edited for clarity.