New Papal Ambassador Urges UN to Go Back to Founding Principles

In his first public event since arriving as the new papal ambassador to the United Nations, Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia said Pope Francis believes the multilateral organization remains a “much-needed…global forum for facing global problems.”

New Research Details Catholic Inmates at Auschwitz

A Polish researcher has published the first study of religious practices among Christian prisoners at Auschwitz-Birkenau, as the 75-year anniversary of the Nazi-run death camp’s liberation was marked in Israel and Poland.

Pope Urges Bishops to Teach Discernment, Including on Political Issues

Sometimes the political choices people face can seem like a choice between supporting a “snake” or supporting a “dragon,” but Pope Francis told a group of U.S. bishops their job is to step back from partisan politics and help their faithful discern based on values, said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

Pope Blesses Rosaries for Military Prisoners Held for ‘Dirty War’ Crimes

Pope Francis sent home 50 rosary beads for military men and women in his native country Argentina who are imprisoned as they await trial for alleged crimes committed during the country’s “dirty war,” the anti-communist campaign by the country’s military junta that left thousands of disappeared from 1976 to 1983.

Morality of Drone Warfare Questioned After Attack on Iranian General

The tweet early Jan. 3 from Bishop Richard F. Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee, asked for prayers. It wasn’t an unusual request from a church leader. Still, its significance stems from its context and its timing: a few hours after the overnight killing of Iran’s top military leader, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.