Pope Francis opens divisive debate on preserving the Amazon

Police said they arrived on the scene to find dozens of churchgoers flouting coronavirus lockdown rules that ban singing and require people to keep their distance.

Thousands of devotees thronged a church in the Philippine capital for a glimpse of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ believed to have miraculous healing powers, after an annual parade was cancelled due to Covid-19.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the report described "a dark, difficult and shameful chapter of very recent Irish history" and a deeply misogynistic culture in Ireland.

There is much enthusiasm around the world for the 46th US president — and considerable interest in his faith. Joe Biden is a Catholic and a friend of Pope Francis. But he is also under pressure from fundamentalists.

An official decree from the Vatican department in charge of doctrine has nixed any possibility that the Roman Catholic Church might accept same-sex marriages.

A system of "silence, secrecy and lack of oversight" led to a lack of compassion for the victims of sexual abuse by the clergy, a German cardinal has announced.

Suicide bombers have struck outside a Catholic church in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Palm Sunday, injuring more than a dozen people. President Widodo said he "strongly condemned this act of terror."

Cardinal Reinhard Marx's decision to waive one of Germany's highest honors is a sign that "church aristocracy" is finally glancing at past harm done, say sexual abuse victims.

A few weeks ago, at the Vatican, the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published an official document reiterating that Catholic priests cannot give blessings to same-sex unions. The document was supposed to draw a definitive line under the issue, but instead it sparked controversy and further debate. Indeed, some priests reject the interpretation, judging it "hurtful" to gay couples and calling for more openness. Our correspondents report from northern Italy.

The Catholic Church is dragging its feet over apologizing and releasing key records on residential schools for Indigenous children, according to Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Reactions are pouring in over the death of Prophet TB Joshua, who was a Popular Nigerian prophet and televangelist and also founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations.

Protesters have blocked roads in Montenegro as the Serbian Orthodox Church prepares to inaugurate Montenegro's next top cleric. They reportedly threw stones at police, shouting: "This is not Serbia."