WASHINGTON – When Americans cast their ballots Nov. 4, it won’t be just for the candidates. Depending on what state they live in, they might also be deciding how to define marriage, whether to allow assisted suicide or fund embryonic stem-cell research, who can adopt and other matters big and small.Read More

WASHINGTON – A leading black Catholic bishop called on African-Americans to “defend our community” against an abortion industry that he said is performing abortions on minority women at a disproportionate rate.Read More

Religious newcomers to the Archdiocese of Baltimore got a crash course on their new archdiocese, learning everything from local pronunciations of ‘Bawlmer’ to where to turn for help in their ministries during a late September orientation at the Catholic Center.Read More

WASHINGTON – Though President George W. Bush may not be able to officially act on a request by the U.S. Catholic bishops that he grant Haitians temporary protected status for the next 18 months for humanitarian reasons, a Department of Homeland Security official said federal efforts have been implemented to provide nationals from that Caribbean...Read More

VATICAN CITY – Defending the values of human life and the family is not always easy, but it is an obligation all Catholics – clergy and laity – share, Pope Benedict XVI said.Read More

At a time when a rising tide of secularism threatened the church’s existence in Germany, a young Bavarian woman took a stand for her faith that would touch the lives of millions throughout the world for 175 years.Read More

The stock market is ebbing and flowing, banks are seeking bailouts and businesses across the country are struggling.Read More

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI denounced the continuing shortages of food around the world and said the causes included selfishness and “unbridled speculation.”Read More