Defendant in Vatican trial says cardinal 'clarified' affair with the Pope...
John Allen
On the second full day of testimony in the Vatican's first-ever trial for alleged financial crimes, one of the defendants told the court told the court he was told there should be "no problems" with spending money from a children's hospital on remodeling an Italian cardinal's private apartment, because that cardinal had spoken personally to Pope Francis and "clarified" the situation...

All roads lead to Rome, and Rome leads to Jerusalem, and Jerusalem to a New Jerusalem...
Nicholas Frankovich
As social conservatives, we embrace Western culture and defend it, although what we mean by it is necessarily vague. The closest thing to it in the Middle Ages was a notion of Roman culture, sustained by the late form of Latin that served as the lingua franca for scholarship, religion, and official communication across the continent...

Postpone the inquisitions; schedule arguments instead...

The little-known exorcisms performed by John Paul II and Benedict XVI at the Vatican...

On Jesus’ merciful call of St. Matthew, a great sinner...
Msgr. Charles Pope
On this Feast Day of St. Matthew, we must acknowledge a great mercy in Jesus’ call. As a tax collector, Matthew was considered a great sinner. In fact, the term “tax collector” was a biblical euphemism for great sinner. Yet despite this, Jesus called him to be an Apostle. In our times, many set mercy and the fact that we are sinners in opposition to each other...

My visit to the scene of Fr. Stanley Rother's martyrdom...

If you're not poor, you’ve been blessed. So don’t talk trash about the poor...
David Mills
The crippled man on the bus had finished his community service; he’d been let down by a social worker who never showed up to give him a ride, and walked a mile to get to the bus stop. He was speaking on his phone to a secretary who told him he’d be marked as a no-show and charged for the appointment with his counselor. He looked “downright afraid...

Enjoy chicken? You have some medieval Benedictines to thank...

Bishop Barron talks religion at Facebook headquarters...

Sister Marita Rother remembers her brother, the soon-to-be ‘Blessed’ Father Stanley Rother...
Jim Graves
Sister Marita Rother, 81, is the younger sister of martyred Father Stanley Rother (1935-81), the venerable servant of God who will be beatified Sept. 23. The missionary priest was murdered in 1981 in his rectory amid the violence of the Guatemalan civil war. Sister Marita is a member of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ; she made first vows with the religious community in 1955 and final vows in 1960...

“I ask for America’s prayers”: Hurricane Maria slams Puerto Rico with high rains, storm surge...

Our Lady of La Salette reminds us keep holy the Sabbath...
Donal Foley
The feast of Our Lady of La Salette commemorates the apparition of the Blessed Virgin to two French children, 11-year-old Maximin Giraud and 14-year-old Mélanie Mathieu, which took place on a mountain near the village of La Salette-Fallavaux on Saturday, Sept. 19, 1846. The two children worked as shepherds and lived in the nearby town of Corps in southeastern France...

Jailed priest: Abortion centers are ‘modern-day Calvary.’ The Church must be there...

In Vatican trial, question remains: Whose reputations are on the line?

Catholics beware: The attack on free speech is growing stronger...

Vatican calls alleged bombshell over vanished girl ‘false and ridiculous’...

Fr. James Martin Is creating chaos in Catholic circles...
John Zmirak
You might not follow inside Catholic baseball. I wouldn’t blame you. Lately it has recalled the infamous 1962 Mets, who won only 40 games while losing 120. Their manager, Casey Stengel, famously asked the team, “Can’t anybody here play this game?” But the latest wild pitch and lost game are important, both to Catholics and other Christians...