BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on a new virus that originated in China (all times local):7:30 p.m.The Catholic diocese in Hong Kong has announced that Masses will be suspended for two weeks amid the spread of the new virus.In a brief video announcement,...

PHOENIX (AP) — Two children were sexually abused by Catholic priests about 40 years ago in an Arizona parish and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix covered up the problem, according to newly filed lawsuits.Both lawsuits were brought Monday under...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis refused Wednesday to approve the ordination of married men or women as deacons to address a shortage of priests in the Amazon, sidestepping a fraught issue that has divided the Catholic Church and emboldened his conservative...

BERLIN (AP) — The Roman Catholic cardinal who leads the German Bishops' Conference said Tuesday he plans to step down at the end of his term in March.Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 66, said in a letter to fellow bishops in Germany that he would not seek a...

The owner of the New Orleans Saints said Monday that the NFL team played no role in determining which priests would be named in the list of “credibly accused” clergy published by the area's Roman Catholic Church.Gayle Benson, a devout Catholic who...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis will visit the Mediterranean island nation of Malta on May 31, the Vatican said Monday, confirming the Pope's first foreign trip for the year.Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna said he expected the visit would highlight...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis will mark the fifth anniversary of his ecological manifesto by visiting a southern Italian region where decades of toxic-waste dumping by the mob have polluted the environment and sickened its people.The diocese of Acerra...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis will release his eagerly-awaited document on the Amazon next Wednesday, with attention focused on whether he will approve calls by the region's bishops to ordain married men to address a priest shortage there.Speculation...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Legion of Christ religious order, discredited years ago by its pedophile founder, has elected an American priest as its new superior as it seeks to recover from new sex abuse and cover-up scandals that have renewed calls for...

In the wake of revelations that scores of Roman Catholic priests and religious workers credibly accused of child sexual abuse are living unsupervised in communities across the country, state officials face a quandary: Should they screen former clergy...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican sought Wednesday to explain the absence of a key member of Pope Francis' protocol team following his role in a controversial book on priestly celibacy co-written by Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.The Vatican press office...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Another founder of a Catholic religious movement has been defrocked for sexual misconduct and abusing his power, the latest in a string of purportedly orthodox, charismatic priests who turned out to be predators.Pope Francis defrocked...