Four Roman Catholic bishops in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero called Monday for civilian and military authorities to take steps to protect residents of a region rocked by violence that has left more than a dozen dead in recent days.

An estimated 180,000 motorcyclists gathered at Our Lady of Fatima shrine in central Portugal on Sunday for the ninth annual Pilgrimage of the Blessing of Helmets.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is offering to help try to gain the release of a Roman Catholic bishop imprisoned in Nicaragua.

Across Europe, churches, convents and chapels stand empty and increasingly derelict after faith and church attendance shriveled over the past half century.

Mark Seitz, the Roman Catholic bishop of El Paso, Texas, tells The Associated Press that Florida Gov_ Ron DeSantis' flights of migrants from the Texas border to California are “reprehensible” and “not morally acceptable.”.

Austrian police are warning of a possible “Islamist-motivated attack” targeting churches in Vienna.

Indigenous symbols found painted next to Roman Catholic motifs at a 1550s-era convent near Mexico City suggest Spanish priests negotiated with Indigenous leaders in the first years after the 1521 conquest.

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, the leader of the San Antonio Archdiocese and one of the top two Catholic leaders in Texas, shared his thoughts about Gov. Greg Abbott’s handling of the Uvalde school shooting massacre in an emotional interview.

After a two-year delay due to the coronavirus, Germany’s famous Oberammergau Passion Play is opening soon.

Enrollment in Catholic schools in the United States rose 3.8% from the previous academic year, rebounding from a sharp drop caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In June of 2000, the state’s top-ranking Roman Catholic clergyman, along with his secretary were held hostage for several hours in San Antonio.

Hong Kong’s incoming Roman Catholic bishop Stephen Chow has called for respect for different views as he prepares to lead a diocese that has been polarized by the city’s deteriorating political situation.

The head of the Vatican’s doctrine office is warning U.S. bishops to deliberate carefully and minimize divisions before proceeding with a possible plan to rebuke Roman Catholic politicians for receiving Communion even though they support abortion rights.

Police officers inspect the area near a church where an explosion went off in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Sunday, March 28, 2021. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a packed Roman Catholic cathedral on Indonesia's Sulawesi island during a Palm Sunday Mass, wounding a number of people, police said. Police later said both attackers were killed instantly and evidence collected at the scene indicated one of the two was a woman. Indonesia has been battling militants since bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. Indonesia has been on high alert since police in December arrested Jemaah Islamiyah leader Aris Sumarsono, also known as Zulkarnaen.

Placards read, Easter Sunday Massacre, Who ran the operation behind the curtain (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)COLOMBO – Sri Lankan Roman Catholics attended Mass dressed in black on Sunday, with prayers and protests calling for justice for those killed in coordinated suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday two years ago. Church bells tolled and prayers were chanted at 8:45 a.m., the time when bombs were detonated almost simultaneously at two Roman Catholic churches and a Protestant church during Easter services on April 21, 2019. A presidential inquiry commission has handed its final report to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has shared parts of it with Catholic and Buddhist religious leaders. We believe there should be unity and brotherhood among different ethnic and religious groups all over the world," Ranjith said Sunday. Ad“The main purpose of this is to show the people and our rulers that justice has not happened for the victims of the Easter attacks," said Auxiliary Bishop the Rev.

Belarus Roman Catholic Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz leads a Christmas midnight mass at the Church of Saints Simon and Helena during in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. Belarusian authorities have allowed Roman Catholic priest Kondrusiewicz to return to the country after denying him entry for months. Kondrusiewicz was barred from entering the ex-Soviet nation for nearly four months after his criticism of the Belarusian authorities' crackdown on protests. (AP Photo)MOSCOW – Belarusian authorities have allowed a Roman Catholic priest to return to the country after denying him entry for months. Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Minsk and Mohilev arrived in Belarus on Thursday.

Now, Gomez is sounding a different tone, saying some of Bidens policy positions, including support for abortion rights, pose a difficult and complex situation for the church. Catholic anti-abortion activists hope the bishops follow through with tough words and action, making clear that Catholic politicians who support abortion are in breach of church teaching. But some conservative bishops, citing the church’s opposition to abortion, have been outspoken in their criticism after Gomez congratulated Biden on his victory. But he noted that Biden’s support for abortion rights is, according to many surveys, shared by most U.S. Catholics. “This failure of leadership gives women who know that abortion is wrong the permission they’re looking for to get an abortion."

MANILA – Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions drew mixed reactions Thursday in the Philippines, Asia’s bastion of Catholicism, with a retired bishop saying he was scandalized by it while an LGBT group welcomed the pontiff’s remarks with relief. President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman said the Philippine leader has long expressed support to same-sex civil unions but added it needed to pass through Congress. Retired Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said he “had very serious doubts about the moral correctness” of the pontiff’s position. He said it ran against long-standing church teachings, which explicitly permit only the union of man and woman whether in civil, legal or church sacramental unions. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte has long supported same-sex civil unions and the papal endorsement may finally convince legislators to give their approval.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden appealed to the nation's Roman Catholic voters on Thursday during a charity dinner that traditionally has been used to promote collegiality and good humor. The event comes as Biden and Trump make fierce plays for Catholic voters, a large swath of the electorate that spans the U.S. political spectrum, including a significant slice of swing voters in battleground states. Trump’s appearance at the dinner four years ago along with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton produced some laughs, but several cringe-worthy moments, too. When Trump described Clinton as corrupt, he crossed the line for many of those in attendance and was booed loudly. On Thursday, Trump sought to highlight his administration's accomplishments benefiting Catholic voters.

Zimbabwe journalist Hopewell Chin'ono appears at the magistrates courts while handcuffed in Harare, Wednesday, July, 22, 2020. Chin'ono known for exposing alleged government corruption is now accused of plotting against the government. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)HARARE Zimbabwe is embroiled in an economic and political crisis marked by human rights abuses, said the country's Roman Catholic bishops, who were then criticized by the government as evil and trying to promote genocide. Fear runs down the spines of many of our people today," said the bishops' statement. Mtetwa said Chinono is surviving on biscuits and water because prison food does not fit his medical requirements.

Nationwide, more than 140 Catholic schools will not reopen in the fall. Already this year, financial and enrollment problems aggravated by the pandemic have forced the permanent closure of more than 140 Catholic schools nationwide, according to officials who oversee Catholic education in the country. Three of the nations highest-ranking Catholic leaders, in a recent joint appeal, said Catholic schools are presently facing their greatest financial crisis and warned that hundreds more closures are likely without federal support. For Catholic schools that are reopening, there is no national directive as to how they should handle the question of in-person classes. And in Evansville, Indiana, Catholic schools reopened Aug. 5 with a full program of in-person instruction.

DETROIT – A Roman Catholic priest in the Detroit area has taken aim at his parishioners in a bid to maintain social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, using a squirt gun to shoot holy water. Tim Pelc shooting water into a car window as it stopped by the steps of the church on Easter. The photos of the priest at the church in Grosse Pointe Park have inspired memes online. One shows the 70-year-old priest amid the fires of hell directing the squirt gun at devil-like figures. One photo shows Pelc standing behind a car with its hatchback door up, shooting water at a basket of flowers.