Former Sen. Donnelly confirmed as US ambassador to Vatican

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly will be heading to Rome as the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. The U.S. Senate approved Donnelly for the position in a voice vote Thursday. President Joe Biden nominated Donnelly for the ambassadorship in October. Donnelly is a Democrat who served six years in the U.S. House […]

117-year-old Polish Catholic church closing this month in Massachusetts

NEW BEDFORD, Massachusetts — The first Polish Catholic church in New Bedford is set to close this month after 117 years, following years of declining membership and the death of its pastor. Less than 30 people attended a recent Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, said John Kearns, spokesperson for the Diocese […]

University will end draft work on gender inclusion policy

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota — The University of North Dakota plans to end its work on a policy for gender inclusion and has no plans to implement it. The policy that was being drafted required use of a transgender person’s preferred pronouns and the use of locker rooms, bathrooms and other living facilities that align […]

Pope vows justice for abuse victims after Ratzinger faulted

ROME — Pope Francis vowed Friday to provide justice to victims of clergy sexual abuse and German authorities called for further investigation after an independent audit faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI for having botched four cases of abuse when he was archbishop of Munich, Germany. The fallout from the report continued to reverberate Friday as […]

As 2024 nears, Pence to speak at SC pregnancy center dinner

COLUMBIA, South Carolina — As he positions himself for a possible White House bid, former Vice President Mike Pence is returning to the early-voting state of South Carolina, slated to give the keynote address at a fundraising banquet for a Christian pregnancy center that’s become a regular stop for GOP presidential hopefuls. In May, Pence […]

Nigeria extremists still ‘very dangerous,’ says UN official

ABUJA, Nigeria — The Islamic extremist insurgency in northeast Nigeria is a “very, very dangerous (and) very threatening” crisis that needs more than $1 billion in aid in 2022 to assist those hit by the decade-long conflict, United Nations humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said. In an interview with The Associated Press, Griffiths, head of the […]

Supreme Court rejects request from Texas abortion providers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court Jan. 20 rejected a request from Texas abortion providers to immediately send their challenge of the state’s abortion law to a federal District Court, where a judge had previously blocked the law. The high court’s action — in its one-sentence order — means the state law that bans most […]