Oct 15, 2018 - 02:00 pm .- Taiwan’s government has issued a second invitation for Pope Francis to visit the country, a move which follows new developments in the Holy See’s relations with its rival in mainland China.

Oct 11, 2018 - 02:00 pm .- Bishop Yoo Heung Sik of Daejeon, who has made multiple trips to North Korea on behalf of the South Korean Bishops Conference, originally welcomed the news that South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong Un had discussed inviting Pope Francis to visit the DPRK during their meeting in late-September.

Oct 9, 2018 - 04:01 pm .- Two pro-life activists are challenging Australian “buffer zone” laws in the country’s high court in Canberra. The laws in the states of Victoria and Tasmania bar any protests within 150 meters (nearly 500 feet) of a clinic or hospital that performs abortions.

Oct 9, 2018 - 05:40 am .- North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has invited Pope Francis to meet in Pyongyang, a South Korean spokesman said Tuesday. Pope Francis is already set to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in Oct. 18 for an audience at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, where Moon will personally deliver the invitation from Kim Jong Un.

Oct 8, 2018 - 04:22 pm .- A parliamentary committee reportedly supported a proposal Oct. 5 to significantly expand abortion in the northeastern Australian state of Queensland.

Oct 8, 2018 - 01:01 pm .- Pakistan’s Supreme Court has reserved judgement on the verdict of Asia Bibi, a Roman Catholic woman who was sentenced to death for blasphemy, several Pakistani news sources reported on Monday.

Oct 8, 2018 - 11:09 am .- Catholic Relief Services is among the 18 international organizations ordered closed by Pakistan’s new government without explanation. The move follows allegations related to the U.S. government’s pursuit of Osama bin Laden, in which a doctor’s false vaccination campaign claimed to be linked to the NGO Save the Children.

Oct 3, 2018 - 04:01 pm .- Caritas Italy will donate more than $115,000 to help the victims of the tsunami that struck Indonesia last week.

Oct 3, 2018 - 03:23 pm .- Government authorities in the Australian state of Tasmania have promised that low-cost surgical abortion will be provided starting in October, but general practitioners and the state’s Women’s Legal Service say they have not been provided any information on who the provider will be and how abortions will be delivered, according to local media reports.

Oct 2, 2018 - 04:30 pm .- The possibility of ordaining married men to the priesthood merits consideration both of its positives and negatives, Bishop Michael McKenna of Bathurst has said.

Oct 2, 2018 - 02:01 pm .- Catholic priests in the Australian state of Tasmania could face jail time if they fail to report sexual abuse disclosed during the sacrament of confession, ABC news (Australia) has reported.

Oct 1, 2018 - 03:26 pm .- Catholic humanitarian groups have joined the efforts to support the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday.

Sep 29, 2018 - 03:01 pm .- A study from the University of Essex has found a link between the global price of gold and the survival rate for Indian baby girls. Monthly increases in the price of gold between 1972-2005, the study argues, led to girls being more likely to be aborted, die in the first month of life, or suffer from stunted growth.

Sep 26, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- At least 20,000 people were present Wednesday for the episcopal consecration of Bishop Ewaldus Martinus Sedu of Maumere, UCA News has reported.

Sep 25, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sept. 21 joined voices from Pakistan and around the world in denouncing Chinese repression against a Muslim minority, as China continues to put pressure on almost all religions within its borders.

Sep 24, 2018 - 12:13 pm .- Sri Lanka should not look to the western world's “new religion” of human rights but to its own religious traditions, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo said Sunday during his homily at Mass.

Sep 21, 2018 - 12:29 pm .- Following a powerful typhoon that struck several Northern provinces in the Philippines late last week, Catholic relief groups are working to provide essential post-storm aid.

Sep 21, 2018 - 11:01 am .- Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jullundur was arrested by Kerala police Friday over allegations that he raped a nun repeatedly over the course of two years. The bishop denies the accusations.

Sep 21, 2018 - 12:04 am .- A $4.6 billion funding package for Catholic and independent schools in Australia has won the support of a national Catholic education group, which says the plan corrects key flaws from the previous funding model.

Sep 20, 2018 - 03:42 pm .- As nuclear negotiations with North Korea continue, Catholics in South Korea are encouraging devotion to their martyr saints and renewing prayers for peace on the peninsula.