WASHINGTON – Two recent outbreaks of violence that claimed nearly 1,000 lives in northern Nigeria show that the country’s political leaders are unable to effectively resolve conflicts that transcend both socio-economic and religious issues, said a U.S. government commission.Read More

St. John the Great Sinner was born into a Christian family in March 1546 in Spain. When he was 19 he left his business and gave away his belongings to live as a hermit. He worked in prisons and hospitals in Jerez de la Frontera, and he later founded the Hospital of Our Lady of...Read More

St. William of Vercelli was born to a noble family in 1085 in Vercelli, Italy. After making a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, when he was 14, he decided to devote his life to God. He attracted many followers while living as a hermit in Monte Vergine. He formed the Hermits of Monte Vergine...Read More

HAVANA – Economic woes and accusations of human rights abuses have thrust Cuba into “a difficult situation, the most difficult we have experienced in the 21st century,” said Havana Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino.Read More

WASHINGTON – Pope Benedict XVI has named Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., 59, as archbishop of Miami and accepted the resignation of Archbishop John C. Favalora, 74, who has headed the archdiocese since 1994.Read More

St. Clare was born July 16, 1194, in Assisi, Italy. She heard St. Francis of Assisi preaching and told him she wanted to live for God. After that, she became good friends with St. Francis. She took her veil and became a woman religious. The saint founded the Poor Clares, and she led the order...Read More

St. Robert Bellarmine was born Oct. 4, 1621, in Italy. After a Jesuit education, he joined the Jesuits in September 1560 despite his father’s opposition. He taught theology at the University of Louvain and Collegio Romano. He wrote a paper to defend the Catholic Church against Protestant attacks. He wrote a catechism for children and...Read More

During the preparation of the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Pope Paul VI proposed that the constitution’s discussion of papal primacy include the affirmation that the pope is “accountable to the Lord alone.” This suggestion was rejected by the Council’s Theological Commission, which wrote that “the Roman Pontiff is also bound to...Read More