In Somalia, 8.3 million people are in urgent need of assistance due to widespread drought that has displaced 1.4 million people, most of whom are women and children, according to the United Nations.

Martyrdom is primarily an act of love, not heroism, and while it often comes in the midst of persecution, it should motivate Christians to seek peace and reconciliation, Pope Francis said.

A Georgetown panel considered “the question of women’s ordination” April 17, describing the matter as “unfinished” despite Pope Francis’ current teaching and St. John Paul II’s 1994 teaching that Jesus Christ reserved the sacred priesthood to men alone even as the Lord promoted the dignity of women.

Arizona’s Catholic bishops praised the state’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs for vetoing legislation on gun regulations they called “problematic.”

The U.S. Supreme Court heard April 18 arguments in a case that could have broad implications for employees seeking religious accommodations from their employers.

Catholic bishops have joined diplomats and other leaders across the world in urging fighting factions in Sudan to lay down arms, as the death toll in the four days of violence continued to rise.

The three Catholic bishops of Tennessee — Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville, Bishop David P. Talley of Memphis and Bishop Richard F. Stika of Knoxville — and the Tennessee Catholic Conference have included their names on a letter to Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly urging passage of gun safety measures.

The number of U.S. Latinos who identify as Catholic continues to decline steadily, with only about 43 percent now self-identifying as Catholic, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center.

Pro-life advocates encountered set-backs as Colorado’s governor signed a trio of bills to expand access to abortion in the Centennial State, and Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a “born-alive” bill that seeks to protect infants who survive failed abortion attempts.

A leading Catholic lawmaker and religious freedom advocate has called on the Biden administration to support the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services in a dispute over a long-running Catholic pastoral care contract that a leading U.S. military medical center awarded to a secular defense contractor.