ARMAGH, Northern Ireland – Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, celebrating the funeral for a man who “disappeared” more than 30 years ago, said the paramilitaries suspected of murdering and secretly burying him were trying to play God.Read More

LOURDES, France – From an altar ringed with wheelchairs and stretchers, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged thousands of sick people at Lourdes to seek solace in Mary’s smile and maternal love.Read More

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI would welcome having an electric popemobile as a further sign of his commitment to protecting natural resources and safeguarding the earth, said a top Vatican official.Read More

PARIS – Pope Benedict XVI warned that Western cultural efforts to marginalize religion and believers would bring disaster for humanity and ultimately “play into the hands of fanaticism.”Read More

CHICAGO – The Catholic Conference of Illinois has urged the state’s General Assembly to reject a Senate bill legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples.Read More

SAN FRANCISCO – Responding to an invitation to meet with him to discuss church teaching on abortion and other topics, U.S. House Speaker Nancy House Speaker Pelosi said she would “welcome the opportunity” to meet with Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco “to go beyond our earlier most cordial exchange about immigration and needs...Read More

Some places work on you. They touch your heart and inspire awe. Omaha Beach in Normandy, Independence Hall, stops on the Underground Railroad. Recently, I visited one of those places, a defunct Woolworths, now the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, N.C..Read More

John and Gat Meredith planned on marking the first anniversary of their daughter’s death quietly.Read More