Difference between 'considering leaving' and 'leaving' church

WASHINGTON — The headlines from a March 13 Gallup Poll about the growing number of U.S. Catholics who have thought about leaving the church because of the clergy abuse crisis did not faze one researcher of Catholic data too much.
With heavy hearts, U.S. bishops condemn mosque attacks

WASHINGTON — U.S. Catholic bishops condemned the two mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 15 that left at least 49 people dead and 20 seriously injured, and they also pledged their solidarity with the Muslim community.
After attacks, New Zealand bishops tell Muslims: 'We hold you in prayer'

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — New Zealand's Catholic bishops have expressed horror and distress at a terrorist attack in two mosques in Christchurch that saw at least 49 people killed.
California bishops applaud governor on death penalty moratorium

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Catholic bishops of California welcomed the March 13 decision by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to put a moratorium on the death penalty.
WATCH: Judge sentences Cardinal Pell to six years in prison on abuse charges

MELBOURNE, Australia — Cardinal George Pell, 77, was sentenced to six years in prison March 13, just over two weeks after a Melbourne court allowed the publication of news that he had been found guilty of sexually abusing two boys.
Teacher apologizes for telling boy to remove cross of ashes on forehead

BOUNTIFUL, Utah — On Ash Wednesday, William McLeod, a fourth-grade student at Valley View Elementary School in Bountiful, was told by his teacher to remove the ash cross he had received at church that morning.
Four CRS staffers, humanitarian workers aboard Ethiopian jet that crashed

WASHINGTON — Four Catholic Relief Service staff members on their way to a training session in Nairobi, Kenya, were among the passengers aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed moments after takeoff in the east African nation.
N.Y. bishops push legislators to reject legalizing recreational marijuana

ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Catholic Conference called on the state's legislators to reject any proposal that would legalize recreational marijuana use.
Abuse summit results in recommendations for diocesan best practices

WASHINGTON — Leadership Roundtable CEO Kim Smolik sees two crises "plaguing our church": abuse by clergy and failures by leadership.
Don't dread Lent, but make the best of its 40 days

WASHINGTON — Long, orange flames consumed the palms Massgoers had brought in to Washington's Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land March 3 to burn ceremonially before the noontime crowd that gathered for their last Sunday Mass before Lent.
Colombian churches help Venezuelan soldiers who have deserted

CUCUTA, Colombia — Pvt. Andry Rosales hugged a Colombian soldier and broke into tears as he surrendered himself to this country's military.
New court battle not likely to set clear path for religious symbols

WASHINGTON — Just before the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about Maryland's Peace Cross -- which pays tribute to fallen World War I soldiers -- a few people on the steps of the court were confident the weathered monument would get to stay in place.
Faith community joins offshore drilling opposition

WASHINGTON — Rep. Francis Rooney, a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, cautioned that offshore drilling for oil in Florida's coastal waters would endanger the state's tourism-based economy should a major spill occur.
'The desert speaks': Faith communities gather at U.S.-Mexico border

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico — Standing in the shadow of the fence separating the United States and Mexico, Bishop Mark Seitz pulled out the photos of Jakelin Caal, 7, and Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8, two migrant children who died in U.S. custody.
Vatican announces canonical investigation of Cardinal Pell

VATICAN CITY — The day Australian Cardinal George Pell was jailed in Melbourne after being found guilty of child sexual abuse, the Vatican announced his case would be investigated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
WATCH: Summit affirms need to hold bishops accountable, U.S. cardinal says

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican summit on child protection and the clerical sexual abuse crisis affirmed the U.S. bishops' strong belief that bishops and cardinals who abuse children or cover up abuse must be held accountable, said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.
Victims: Blaming homosexuality for abuse of minors is distraction

ROME — People must stop using homosexuals as scapegoats for the sexual abuse of children, two male survivors of abuse by priests told reporters.
Philippine bishop: Duterte's drug war is 'illegal, immoral and anti-poor'

KALOOKAN, Philippines — A Catholic bishop in the Philippines said his government's controversial war on drugs is really a war against the country's poor.
In the U.S., a sobering mood after news of McCarrick's laicization

WASHINGTON — The accusations surrounding former U.S. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick have been hanging over U.S. bishops and faith communities in the dioceses and archdioceses where he served -- New York, Metuchen and Newark in New Jersey, and Washington -- since last year.
Texas locality orders popular Catholic center for migrants to vacate

WASHINGTON — A group of city commissioners in the border city of McAllen, Texas, voted in mid-February to remove from a building a popular Catholic-administered center run by Sister Norma Pimentel, who has been praised by Pope Francis for her work with migrants.
Africa is also grappling with clerical abuse, say Catholic leaders

NAIROBI, Kenya — When child sexual abuse scandals involving Catholic priests emerge in Africa, they do not draw a frenzied reaction similar to that witnessed in developed countries, but the continent's church is affected, said Catholic leaders.
CLINIC, partners want end to 'remain in Mexico' policy for asylum-seekers

WASHINGTON — Immigrant advocates called on the Department of Homeland Security to rescind the so-called "remain in Mexico" policy that finds the United States returning migrants across the southern border to await their U.S. court hearings.
Weeklong observance in U.S. celebrates 'beauty and gift of marriage'

WASHINGTON — National Marriage Week USA and World Marriage Day are opportunities for "building a culture of life and love that begins with promoting and defending marriage and the family," said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia.
Women religious openly discuss harassment, abuse, rape of nuns by clergy

Galvanized by the #MeToo movement and the sex abuse crisis commanding the attention of the Vatican, women religious are now openly discussing a subject that was once taboo -- sexual harassment, abuse and rape of sisters by clergy -- in congregational motherhouses and national conference offices.
WATCH: Seminarians learn to cook

ST. MEINRAD, Ind. — Familiar sounds of sizzling meat and clanging cutlery associated with food preparation offered a different kind of doctrine than one might expect in a third-floor classroom at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.
During Arctic blast, Catholic service agencies extend services, hours

WASHINGTON — The deep freeze that plunged much of the Upper Midwest into historic and dangerously low temperatures was a matter of life and death for many of the area's homeless at risk of frostbite or hypothermia.
WATCH: Brazilian church officials say dam break will affect area for years

SAO PAULO — The break in the Feijao dam complex in Brumadinho is being called a social-environmental crime instead of an accident by some members of the Catholic Church in Brazil. According to the religious who work with populations near dams and mining exploration areas, both the human and environmental costs of this tragedy will affect the area for dozens of years.
Pakistan Supreme Court upholds blasphemy acquittal

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's Supreme Court upheld its acquittal of a Pakistani Catholic woman sentenced to hang for blasphemy.
Pope calls for peace in Venezuela, denounces Philippine church bombing

PANAMA CITY — Pope Francis prayed that a peaceful solution may be found in Venezuela as uncertainty and political instability grip the country. Pope Francis also denounced the Jan. 27 bombing of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Philippines. Two bombs blasted the cathedral during Sunday Mass, killing 20 people and wounding dozens more.
Venezuelan bishops say fresh calls for protest are 'sign of hope'

CARACAS, Venezuela — The Venezuelan bishops' conference labeled fresh calls for anti-government street protests as "a sign of hope" in the country, which continues to suffer through a deep economic and humanitarian crisis.
After initial outrage, claims of racism, clearer details of exchange emerge

WASHINGTON — An exchange between Catholic high school students and a Native American tribal leader in Washington Jan. 18 was vilified on social media the following day, but the immediate accusations the students showed racist behavior have been stepped back as more details of the entire situation have emerged.