CORNWALL, ONT. -- Religious persecution, the continuing fallout from past sexual abuse, reconciliation with First Nations and an ongoing commitment to “our missionary zeal” were among the grand themes that emerged at the annual plenary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).

CORNWALL, Ont. -- Canada’s bishops will monitor next month’s Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, but the issue of ordaining married men is not a priority for bishops here, said Archbishop Richard Gagnon of Winnipeg.

OTTAWA -- A review by Canada’s bishops of Development and Peace that arose from allegations the agency was aligned with some questionable partners is completed and will be presented by the end of September.

OTTAWA - Canada’s Catholic bishops and religious men and women have condemned the clerical abuse of women religious in the wake of a French documentary that was aired on television in Quebec.

The following is an edited version of the Easter message from Bishop Lionel Gendron, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops:

MONTREAL - In a letter addressed to the Canadian bishops and the leaders of Development and Peace, prominent leaders of the Catholic Church in the Philippines and civil organizations criticized a moratorium on at least four Philippine associations suspected of "violating the social teachings of the Church."

There may be good reasons for not inviting the Pope to Canada, but the risk of being sued isn’t one of them, said a litigation lawyer who has taken the Church to court.

OTTAWA – Regardless of whether Pope Francis comes to Canada, Indigenous relations remain a top priority to the bishops, said the newly-elected president of the Canadian bishops’ conference.

Bishop Lionel Gendron of Saint-Jean-Longueuil has been elected president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), succeeding Bishop Douglas Crosby of Hamilton.

CORNWALL, Ont. – Canada’s bishops will not be inviting Pope Francis to visit Canada any time soon.

CORNWALL, ONT. – The Vatican’s representative in Canada has urged Canada’s bishops to build on the “moment of grace” and “fresh wind” of their ad limina visits to Rome earlier this year.

Jesuit Fr. Bill Ryan was never going to settle for a small, quiet, unobtrusive, private faith. For the Harvard-educated economist any notion that God was real, that God intends justice, must be met with real, concrete and public action.

In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops president Bishop Doug Crosby has accused Canadian mining companies of “unethical, unjust and irresponsible ways of mining” in Latin America.

OTTAWA – A case coming this fall to the Supreme Court of Canada could have “a profound impact on all faith-based education, health care and social service facilities,” according to Canada’s bishops.