VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI, who is vacationing in the northern Italian Alps, underwent a procedure under local anesthesia to repair his right wrist, which he had fractured during the night of July 16-17, his personal physician said.Read More

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A ruling that removes a federal injunction against a parental notification law means “for the first time in decades Illinois will enjoy an entirely reasonable, if minimal, restriction on access to abortion,” a Catholic official said July 14.Read More

WASHINGTON – Plaudits for Dr. Regina Benjamin from an archbishop and colleagues and even her receipt of a pontifical medal may not be persuasive enough evidence of her credentials as a Catholic who supports church teaching for critics questioning whether she would become an advocate for legal abortion if she is confirmed as surgeon general.Read More

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam – A Vietnamese Christian Brother drowned while trying to rescue a 15-year-old girl who fell into a river in Cambodia.Read More

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Episcopal bishops, priests and lay delegates at their church’s triennial convention in Anaheim voted July 14 to lift a moratorium on the ordination of gay and lesbian bishops that had been in place for three years.Read More

For Sarah Harkins, a teenage interest in making clay rosaries began with some simple instructions. It blossomed into a calling.Read More

WASHINGTON – Judge Sonia Sotomayor energetically took on detailed questions about court cases both well-known and arcane as the Senate Judiciary Committee opened what was expected to be a quick process to confirm the 55-year-old appeals court judge to the Supreme Court.Read More

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican newspaper gave the new Harry Potter movie four stars for promoting “friendship, altruism, loyalty and self-giving.”Read More