VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican Secretariat of State has sent an explanatory note to nuncios around the world insisting that when Pope Francis spoke about civil unions, he was not changing or challenging "the doctrine of the church, which he has reaffirmed numerous times over the years."

VATICAN CITY -- When Pope Francis said gay people have a right to be in a family and that gay couples needed some form of civil law to protect their rights, he was not saying that gay couples should have a right to adopt children.

VATICAN CITY -- While there is no doubt that Pope Francis said civil laws should protect the rights of gay couples, some mystery shrouds the context in which he said it and the way it is used in a new film.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis often has expressed openness to the idea of laws recognizing civil unions, including for gay couples, to protect their rights.

MOSCOW, Russia (CNA) -- A definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is among several amendments to the Russian constitution proposed by president Vladimir Putin.

Belfast, Northern Ireland -- In the mid-19th century, St. Malachy’s Church on Alfred Street added to its existing structure the largest bell in a city full of Catholic churches and Protestant houses of worship.

MANCHESTER, England -- Four Irish bishops said abortion and same-sex marriage is about to be imposed on Northern Ireland after British politicians “hijacked” a bill intended for other purposes.

MANCHESTER, England – The United Kingdom's Supreme Court has upheld the right of a bakery to refuse to make a cake emblazoned with a slogan in support of same-sex marriage.

A private member’s bill that would decriminalize the purchase of sperm, eggs and rent-a-womb surrogacy would open the door to exploitation of poor women and legalize a form of child trafficking, according to a member of the 1990s Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies.

VANCOUVER – News about Trinity Western University’s attempts to open a Christian law school, and the ensuing battles in the courts and the media, has spread across the country many times over.

HAMILTON, Bermuda – The British government has said it will not overrule a Bermudian law passed earlier this month which abolishes same-sex marriage, less than a year after the institution was imposed by a court decision.

CANBERRA, Australia – After a majority of Australians indicated they favored same-sex marriage, Australia's bishops said legislators must ensure that any new law on marriage includes protection for religious freedom.

OTTAWA – The Ontario law society has gone too far by compelling lawyers to submit a “politically correct” statement of principles that may “override core Christian beliefs,” said the president of the Catholic Civil Rights League.

VALLETTA, Malta – Lawmakers in predominantly Roman Catholic Malta legalized same-sex marriage Wednesday (July 12), joining much of Western Europe by replacing the traditional "you are now husband and wife" declaration in civil ceremonies with "you are now spouses."

OXFORD, England – Germany's bishops' conference expressed regret over a June 30 parliamentary vote to allow same-sex weddings, vowing to defend the "Catholic understanding of marriage."