WASHINGTON – U.S. House passage of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, making the 41-year-old Hyde Amendment permanent, puts the country "one step closer to getting the federal government out of the business of paying for abortion once and for all," said the president of National Right to Life.

YAMOUSSOUKRO, Ivory Coast – Catholic bishops in Ivory Coast have launched a campaign of fasting and prayer for peace after a wave of army mutinies and civil service strikes.

KINSHASA, Congo – Congo's bishops are urgently seeking to rescue a government-opposition peace accord, reached in the final minutes of 2016.

PARIS – More than 200 victims have reported child sex abuse to the French church in the past six years, according to data collected by the French bishops.

WASHINGTON – Words of congratulations as well as caution emerged from political and religious leaders as President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated Jan. 20, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis sent best wishes and prayers to incoming President Donald J. Trump shortly after he took the oath of office.

NEW YORK – Behind the opening credits of "The Young Pope," a naked baby boy crawls over a sea of infant mannequins, and a man dressed as the Roman pontiff emerges at the other end.

JERUSALEM – Christians have a responsibility to oppose the construction of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, said bishops from the U.S., Canada and Europe.

ROME – The three-step process to elect a new prelate for Opus Dei, the predominantly lay organization, will begin Jan. 21 with a consultation involving more than three dozen women leaders.

VATICAN CITY – The overwhelming majority of sainthood causes the past decade have originated in Italy, said the head of the Vatican office responsible for investigating the causes.