Besides getting a pope with a great smile and a winning demeanor, the cardinals who elected him Aug. 26, 1978, unwittingly picked a man with health issues that only 33 days later would lead to his death, making his pontificate one of the shortest ever.

Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. offered his support to a federal abortion ban limiting the procedure to around the first trimester of pregnancy, but quickly backtracked after earning the praise of a pro-life group.

Confusion about Jesus’ Jewish identity persists, despite almost six decades of Catholic Church teaching on how to present Jews and Judaism in catechesis and preaching.

When the Ulma family is beatified Sept. 10 as martyrs who gave their lives to protect Jews during the Holocaust, it may be the first time the Catholic Church has beatified an entire, specific family together, as well as the first beatification of an unborn child.

When Pope Francis announced that the South Korean capital city of Seoul would host World Youth Day 2027, Rosemary Shin realized she might make a special homecoming trip in 2027 to South Korea and let out a raucous cheer, waving arms and pumping her fists in the air.

Catholic Charities Hawai’i in the Honolulu Diocese has appealed for donations to help the agency meet the housing, food and other needs of what could be thousands of victims from wildfires raging on the island of Maui that wiped out an entire town and drove people to seek refuge in the ocean.

Relations between congressional Democrats and Republicans are growing increasingly contentious, but possible solutions exist, including the relaunch of a civility and respect caucus, congressional experts and observers told OSV News.

The final message of Pope Francis in Lisbon was directed specifically to young Ukrainians.

The prelate of Opus Dei said members “accept with sincere filial obedience” the slight modifications Pope Francis made to the section of the Code of Canon Law dealing with personal prelatures.

The Russian Orthodox Church is playing a “leading role” in efforts to destroy Ukraine and Ukrainians, said a Ukrainian Catholic archbishop.