The spiritual practice of discernment, of seeing where God is at work in one’s life and what God is calling one to do, includes examining what brings a sense of consolation and spurs one to do good, Pope Francis said.

In the days since four University of Idaho students were found brutally slain Nov. 14, the Catholic parish that serves the university and the community of Moscow, Idaho, is mourning with and praying for the victims, their families and friends, and the wider community, said the pastor.

The Diocese of Oakland, Calif., issued a statement of support for those suffering after a Nov. 19 attack on an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado.

Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin has lashed out at the “pathetic responses” to victims of clergy sexual abuse and the “whitewashing” of crimes in the wake of the latest abuse scandal to rock the Irish Church.

Pope Francis has suspended the secretary-general and other top officers of Caritas Internationalis, appointing a temporary administrator to oversee improved management policies and to prepare for the election of new officers in May.

Christians and Jews are called to give witness to their faith by “working to make the world more fraternal, combating forms of inequality and promoting greater justice,” Pope Francis told members of the World Jewish Congress.

Catholic leaders have condemned the Nov. 19 attack on an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that killed at least five people and injured at least 25.

In the third week of November, three executions by lethal injection took place in the U.S. in just two days and a fourth execution was called off after failed attempts happened close to the expiration of the prisoner’s death warrant.

Meeting the U.S.-born patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, Pope Francis expressed his hope that Christians of the East and West could finally agree on a common date for celebrating Easter.

Jens Manuel Krogstad of the Pew Research Center, in his work studying Latino demographics and politics, noted that Latinos do not identify as strongly with either the Democratic or Republican parties as do other Americans.