When Pope Francis told reporters the Vatican had some kind of “mission” underway to promote an end to the war in Ukraine, journalists naturally were intrigued.

North Carolina legislators appear poised to pass a ban on abortions after 12 weeks despite objections from the state’s governor.

A Catholic response to those experiencing gender dysphoria “must both affirm God-given sex and recognize the struggle of the person in front of us,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City said in a new pastoral letter.

Five women were shot, one fatally, in the waiting room of a medical office in Atlanta May 3, sparking area lockdowns and a manhunt that lasted into the late evening.

Despite the support for the practice from some Republican governors, a growing number of Republican state lawmakers are backing efforts to repeal the death penalty, marking a notable shift in conservatives’ views on the matter.

Russia’s seizure of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine has undermined global nuclear security, while serving as a “wake-up call” to ending energy dependence on Russia, said experts at a recent panel discussion hosted by a Catholic college.

At his weekly general audience May 3, the pope reflected on his visit April 28-30 to Budapest, Hungary.

Shortly after urging people to pray the rosary for peace and entrusting the people of Ukraine to Mary’s care, Pope Francis met briefly with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, director of external relations for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Abortion bans failed in Nebraska and South Carolina, two Republican-led states, in the final week of April following a successful effort in North Dakota.

Moscow is not working with the Vatican to end the war in Ukraine, said a Kremlin spokesperson.