OTTAWA – The Liberal government shows no sign of budging from requiring the pro-abortion Canada Summer Jobs attestation, despite pleas from faith leaders and news of a second Liberal MP breaking ranks.

VATICAN – Papal preacher Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa dedicated his Good Friday homily to young people, comparing them to the apostle John and urging them to have the courage to go in the opposite direction of the selfishness of the world, running instead toward the sacrificial love of Jesus on the cross.

Young people are ready and willing to be leaders in the Church, said youth delegates at an unprecedented pre-synodal meeting of young people in Rome. 

VATICAN – Young people want to know they are valued members of the Catholic Church and that their questions and struggles are taken seriously enough that someone will spend time with them discussing issues rather than simply repeating "prefabricated" responses, said delegates to a meeting in Rome.

Sixteen-year-old Mary-Margaret Asoata wasn’t expecting much from Service Week. 

VATICAN – Young people want trusted guides as they explore their faith and their vocation, said five young adults from the United States attending the Vatican's pre-synod meeting.

VATICAN – Religious and nonreligious people today must learn to engage in fair and objective dialogue so that they may unite the world and make it better as a whole, a young atheist said.

VATICAN – If the Catholic Church at every level – and governments, too – would listen to young people and give them a voice in decision-making, they could unleash great potential, said two African young adults.

Mark Mallett was close to losing his religion when he rediscovered his Catholic faith through music. 

DENVER, Colo. – On Wednesday, thousands of students throughout the United States walked out of classrooms as part of National School Walkout, a demonstration calling for safer schools and increased gun control, in the wake of the February high school shooting that left 17 Florida students dead.

VATICAN – As the pre-synod gathering on youth approaches, Vatican organizers are inviting young people around the globe to join in the discussion through Facebook groups in six different languages.

BOGOTA, Colombia - As Colombia strives to build a lasting peace, the country's elders need the encouragement and insistence of young people, who believe with all their hearts that forgiveness is possible and grudges don't have to last for decades, Pope Francis said.

Fr. Charles Grech arrived from Malta a year ago with experience working with youth and a background in radio. They are skills he plans to put to good use as the newly installed director of Radio Mario Canada.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – For many people, a warm meal is a way to come together, celebrate, and spend time with friends and family. For homeless people living on the streets of Montevideo, Uruguay, it’s an experience that’s rare. But about 500 young people in the city are working to change that.

ROME – Instead of “pretending to be adolescents,” parents must help young people see the blessing of growing into adulthood, Pope Francis told priests, religious, catechists and parish council members from the Diocese of Rome.