The United States established formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See 40 years ago, and the current ambassador in Rome says its mission has been a wonderful success.

Change looms on the horizon for the American hierarchy. And the anticipation continues to build as the appointment of Latin Church bishops in the United States has seriously stalled out over the last year or so.

Ashley Hufft is a woman with a mission — and not just as the first woman to become president and chief executive officer of Unbound, an international nonprofit founded by Catholics assisting the poor and marginalized in 17 countries around the globe.

The bishops launched resources in early March as part of the “Invite One Back” initiative, equipping clergy and parish leaders to invite those who have stopped attending Sunday Mass to fill the pews once again.

As violence and instability ravage Haiti, two U.S. bishops are urging awareness and action by the global community to assist Haitians in restoring peace.

Pope Francis has named Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera to be secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and Teresa Kettelkamp to serve as adjunct secretary.

Hope “is the opposite of impatience, of haste, of ‘everything immediately.’ It is the antidote to discouragement. It keeps yearning alive,” Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa told Pope Francis and members of the Roman Curia during a Lenten meditation in the Paul VI Audience Hall March 15.

Faced with decades of rising secularism, the Catholic Church must invest in families and in strengthening other forms of community to transmit the faith, Pope Francis said.

Vice President Kamala Harris on March 14 toured a Minnesota abortion clinic, marking the first time that a president or vice president has done so, according to Harris’ office.

“Sober St. Patrick’s Day” is set to mark its 13th year of celebrating Irish arts, culture and food — minus the alcohol — following New York’s annual parade for the beloved patron saint of the Irish and Irish diaspora, whose feast has become one of the year’s biggest days for drinking.