HONG KONG – The only Catholic church in Ordos, in China’s autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, was destroyed the night of June 7, and the priest and lay leader were detained by police.Read More

St. Joseph Cafasso was born in Italy in 1811. He was ordained in 1833 and taught moral theology at a college. He served as superior of the college from 1846 to 1860. Joseph had a ministry to prisoners – trying to reform and convert the prisoners. Additionally, he worked to improve the prisons. He died...Read More

Blessed Thomas Mary Fusco was born in Italy in 1831 and became a priest in 1855. He opened a school for boys, spent time as a traveling missionary, opened a school of moral theology, founded the Priestly Society of the Catholic Apostolate to support missions, and founded the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious...Read More

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI has named nine church leaders to begin an apostolic visitation of the Catholic Church in Ireland aimed at helping the church address the sexual abuse scandal, improve assistance to victims and perfect preventative measures.Read More

VATICAN CITY – The scandal of clerical abuse of minors must inspire bishops and priests to rediscover the need for penitence, purification, forgiveness and justice, Pope Benedict XVI told Italian bishops.Read More

St. Agnes of Montepulciano was born to a wealthy family in Italy in 1268. She was a pious child and knew she wanted to join a convent by age 6. She entered the convent in Montepulciano when she was 9 years old. She later went to Procena when her spiritual director was appointed abbess there....Read More

St. Eugene de Mazenod was born in Aix-en-Provence in France on Aug. 1, 1782. There was constant fighting in his family and interference from relatives when St. Eugene was a child. His parents eventually divorced. In 1790, St. Eugene had to flee with his family to escape the French Revolution. He spent the next 11...Read More

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has withdrawn from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, citing the group’s “expanded and broadened agenda” that fails to “reflect the principles and policies of the bishops’ conference.”Read More