From Catholic News Service

Along the western banks of the Jordan River, the place of Christ's baptism and today known as Qasr al-Yahud, numerous churches and monasteries of different religions sit vacant and silenced due to the dangerous landmines that lie beneath them.

God proposes -- not imposes -- his Gospel and offer of salvation, putting the responsibility of being open to and moved by his message on the listener, Pope Francis said.

As chapels go, the simple structure on property owned by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ congregation in Columbia, Pennsylvania, is not much.

Some of the children seemed fascinated with the life-size scene of Jesus on the cross. Some of the youngest wondered what was happening, why did people look so sad, they asked looking at the scene of Calvary. 

Vatican magistrates have formally indicted two former officers of the Vatican's pediatric hospital on charges of illegally using funds to help finance the remodeling of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone's apartment.

Political polarization in America has recently peaked, according to surveys conducted by Pew Research Center and Gallup, among others.

The theme of the 12th National Black Catholic Congress July 6-9 in Orlando focused on a passage by Micah, known as the prophet of social justice, whose warnings and criticism of political corruption and urging of caring for the poor still ring true 2,700 years later.

In the wake of several violent incidents involving controversial speakers at universities this year, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing June 20 on free speech on college campuses.

Virginia officials executed a man convicted of killing a hospital security guard and a sheriff's deputy despite the pleas of advocates who said the crimes resulted from severe mental illness.

Elaborate artwork adorns the monumental buildings in the nation's capital, depicting the beauty and grandeur of the neoclassical era that inspired these buildings.