NEWS

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI is considering making some changes to the conclave rules and rituals before he leaves office Feb. 28, the Vatican spokesman confirmed.

HAMILTON, ONT. - Fr. Daniel Miehm has been appointed the new auxiliary bishop for the Hamilton diocese.

Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana announced the appointment by Pope Benedict XVI Feb. 20.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Dr. Evelyn Billings, who with her husband, John, pioneered research that led them to develop a form of natural family planning supported by the Catholic Church, died Feb. 16 after a short illness. She was 95.

Updated 02/22/13

With a nod to slain Pakistani cabinet minister Shahbaz Bhatti, Prime Minister Stephen Harper inaugurated the long-awaited Office of Religious Freedom by appointing a Catholic scholar and public servant as its first-ever ambassador.

VATICAN CITY - In trying to help people understand how belief in God is a natural part of life and provides grounding for the values that protect human dignity and peaceful coexistence, Pope Benedict XVI saw Jews and Muslims as natural allies.

TRIER, Germany - The president of the German bishops' conference has asked Pope Benedict XVI's forgiveness for "errors committed against him" in his homeland, adding that most Germans respect him as a "spiritual and intellectual authority."

VATICAN CITY - When they are not in the Sistine Chapel, seated under Michelangelo's frescoes to vote for the next pope, the cardinal-electors will stay in a modern guesthouse that offers them both privacy and space to gather for relaxed conversation.

There are 58 Haitian families in earthquake-proof homes thanks to a Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace project that has introduced new building technology to the Caribbean nation.

When high school teachers want to show their students Christ’s work in action, they bring them to Canadian Food for Children, said Dr. Andrew Simone.

Montreal school challenges ERC ruling

OTTAWA - A private Montreal Catholic high school has asked the Supreme Court of Canada to settle whether religious freedom applies to religious institutions as well as to individuals.