VATICAN CITY – When Pope John Paul II turned 80 in 2000, it fueled yet another round of speculation about whether the ailing pontiff might break with tradition and resign. In contrast, Pope Benedict XVI’s 80th birthday April 16 finds him with the wind in his sails. The pope’s new book on Jesus was being...Read More

LONDON – The head of Great Britain’s military diocese has come under fire from politicians, military leaders and the media after he welcomed Iran’s release of 15 sailors and marines as religiously motivated “good deeds.” Bishop Thomas Burns of the Bishopric of the Forces was called naive, accused of wishful thinking and was the subject...Read More

WASHINGTON – A group of Republican senators have asked Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for detailed information to justify the denial of a one-year grant to the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services to aid foreign-born human trafficking victims.Read More

Hackett, 64, directs nearly 7,000 employees in more than 90 countries. He has dealt with the high and mighty, both “seen the devil’s work” and commiserated with popes and Mother Teresa, but a practical appreciation of human nature preceded his unique perspective of the universal church.Read More