Although overtly campaigning to be pope is discouraged and would be counterproductive, the cardinals do a lot of politicking in private prior to the conclave.
"He was a source of inspiration for many artists, even those who have nothing to do with religion, because he was a transparent person — for better or for worse. A real person," said the street artist Maupal.
A student at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., has had their visa revoked by the federal government, adding a Catholic school founded by U.S. bishops to the growing list of colleges where international students have had their visas revoked by President Donald Trump's administration.
The New Yorker magazine has managed to insult Christians and Jews alike with a cartoon depicting the Last Supper in an April issue, writes columnist Phyllis Zagano.
A federal judge has denied a request by the Trump administration to reconsider a ruling in a lawsuit brought by faith-based refugee resettlement agencies, ordering the government to begin immediately processing and admitting refugees who were conditionally approved before Jan 20.
While congressional co-sponsors are all Catholic, the Religious Workforce Protection Act has substantial support from a variety of religious leaders, including evangelical Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Episcopalians.
Dropping bombs and killing drug dealers may look good on television, Thomas Reese writes, but the real war on drugs occurs in treatment programs, which are terribly underfunded.
"As an alumna of the school, I'm just enraged," said Atalia Omer, a professor of religion, conflict and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame who co-taught the Harvard Divinity School class. Omer is Jewish and a native of Israel.
Vice President JD Vance wants women to have more babies, but he should learn from the Catholic bishops how to make having children more affordable and appealing.