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...

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian Parliament is expected to pass a motion on Monday calling for Israel to immediately extradite a former school principal wanted on dozens of charges of child sex abuse.The motion to be moved by lawmakers from...

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) — 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...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A judge ruled Friday that The Associated Press may be heard in a court dispute over whether to release hundreds of confidential emails that detail the New Orleans Saints' behind-the-scenes public relations work to help area Roman...

DITTMER, Mo. (AP) — A former Catholic priest has been arrested at a Missouri facility that provides a home for disgraced clergy, accused of sexually assaulting a child in North Texas 31 years ago.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 78-year-old...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints say they only did “minimal” public relations work on the area’s Roman Catholic sexual abuse crisis, but attorneys suing the church allege hundreds of confidential Saints emails show the team's involvement...

LYON, France (AP) — A French appeals court on Thursday threw out a lower court ruling convicting a French cardinal of covering up the sexual abuse of minors in his flock, a decision culminating a drama that has produced angst for the Roman Catholic...

DALLAS (AP) — A 78-year-old former Roman Catholic priest whose whereabouts remain unknown has been accused of aggravated sexual assault of a child while serving as a priest in North Texas, according to a police affidavit.Dallas police obtained a warrant...