VATICAN – Unity and fidelity are indispensable cornerstones of Christian marriage, Pope Francis said.

BEIRUT – At a gathering of Middle East leaders coinciding with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Syriac Orthodox patriarch emphasized the need to unify efforts against extremism and terrorism.

NEW YORK – Ordaining women to the permanent diaconate now, when the church is "crying for ministry," is a logical way to fulfill its obligation to bring the Gospel to all people, according to panelists at a Jan 15 event at Jesuit-run Fordham University in New York.

VATICAN – A bishop must be "blameless" and at the service of God, not of cliques, assets and power, especially if he is ever to "set right" what needs to be done for the church, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN  – The Catholic Church must be a place of justice and mercy, and its members must be catalysts for change, some young observers said at the Synod of Bishops Oct. 11.

VATICAN – The Catholic Church needs bishops who promote unity, “not soloists singing their own tune or captains fighting personal battles,” Pope Francis told new bishops from the Church’s mission territories.

Groundhog Day is a 1993 movie featuring actor Bill Murray as a cynical television weatherman forced to live the same day over and over again.

The Roman Catholic Church today has nearly 3,000 dioceses and archdioceses, each with at least one bishop.

VATICAN – While the faith of Catholics in Ireland is strong, the scandal of abuse and cover-up by church leaders has caused a decline in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, Pope Francis said.

“We showed no care for the little ones,” wrote Pope Francis. “We abandoned them.”

ST. LOUIS – Archbishop Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis said Aug. 23 he has invited Missouri's attorney general to conduct a review of the archdiocese with regard to clergy sexual abuse.

MORELIA, Mexico – The Archdiocese of Morelia confirmed Saturday that the corpse of Fr. Miguel Gerardo Flores, who had disappeared for a week, had been discovered.

MANCHESTER, England – A global synod on priests could help the church to end the "terrible" scandals of clerical child abuse, an English bishop told Pope Francis.

WASHINGTON – The Archbishop of Washington has cancelled his scheduled participation at the Church’s World Meeting of Families, which will be held this week in Dublin, Ireland.

WASHINGTON – The report begins dramatically, imploring its readers: "We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this."