International News

ROME -- Catholic bishops across Europe encouraged their faithful to go to the polls in late May to elect members of the European Parliament who would promote unity and take seriously the power of the European Union to do good in the world.

ROME -- Exposing the errors in gender theory is “of the utmost urgency” because it poses a threat to the Church’s moral teaching and to the proclamation of the Christian faith, said the archbishop of Utrecht.

MEXICO CITY -- Two young men arriving for a Mass to be celebrated before a quinceanera in Mexico's Veracruz state were shot dead as they entered the parish parking lot. It was the latest atrocity in a steady string of mass slayings, which have highlighted a surge in the country's already shockingly high homicide rate.

VATICAN CITY -- The withdrawal of nutrition and hydration from a patient whose body can absorb them is a "serious violation" of the person's dignity, said two Vatican officials.

ROME -- Limiting the number of Muslims allowed to immigrate to traditionally Christian nations would be a prudent decision on the part of politicians, said U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke.

VATICAN CITY -- Christian family life is a vocation and, when lived with fidelity, it is a path to holiness, said the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life.

Vatican City -- Parishes and dioceses are now allowed to organize official pilgrimages to Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, but it must be clear that the Catholic Church has not recognized as authentic the alleged Marian apparitions there.

Vatican City -- Sweeping new Church laws issued by Pope Francis to protect minors and hold bishops accountable reinforce the message that the days of covering up or ignoring abuse allegations are over, said the Vatican’s top abuse investigator.

By passing a bill to ban abortion in nearly all circumstances, the Alabama Legislature has recognized that abortion is "the extinguishing of a unique human life," said the president and CEO of Americans United for Life.

When Pope Francis visits Romania May 31-June 1, he will helicopter to Sumuleu Ciuc, site of the country's only major Marian shrine and an important place of pilgrimage for Hungarian Catholics.