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NEW YORK - History's refreshingly accessible docudrama "Jesus: His Life" will certainly appeal to Christian viewers and may be informative for others as well. Debuting with back-to-back episodes Monday, March 25, 8-10 p.m. EDT, the eight-part series will air in that time slot through April 15.

WASHINGTON - One of the founders of liberation theology in Latin America said he supports an effort to declare St. Oscar Romero a doctor of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis called on Christians to unite in prayer for the victims of two mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead and dozens wounded in one of the worst mass shootings in the country's history.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration endorsed the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would provide equal protection and a pathway to citizenship for qualifying "Dreamers" and those covered by the Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure programs.

In a new book, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, writes that the Vatican's recent agreement with the Chinese government was motivated by a desire to spread the Gospel and assure freedom of the church.

WASHINGTON -The chairman of the U.S. bishops' migration committee and the president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services March 13 joined Texas and Mexico bishops in opposing the U.S. policy of sending asylum-seekers back to Mexico while they wait for court proceedings.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Cardinal George Pell, 77, Australia’s most powerful Catholic prelate and until recently a top official at the Vatican, was sentenced to six years in prison March 13, three months after a jury convicted him of sexual offending to young boys in the Melbourne cathedral in 1996 and 1997.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in the state, a step the state’s Catholic bishops said provides a welcome pause for “civil dialogue” on alternatives to capital punishment.

MANILA, Philippines - Three Catholic priests, known for being outspoken against a wave of drug-related killings, claimed they have received death threats in recent weeks. The three told a hastily organized media briefing March 11 that they fear for their lives.

Now, at this “acceptable time,” Lent begins. We are called again to stop the ordinary routine, evaluate the areas where we have strayed from the ideals of Christian life, and make a deliberate turning back to God. In these days we only have to turn on the news to see vivid evidence of just how far our culture is from Christian ideals: The passing of horrific laws that permit the killing of full-term infants; family separation resulting from oppressive social and economic forces, affecting especially vulnerable immigrant families; an epidemic of homelessness; revelations of abuse of power even within the hierarchy of the Church; the list goes on and on.

The first Sunday of Lent was a time of celebration at St. Mary’s Cathedral as more than 1,000 worshippers gathered to witness men, women and children from across the archdiocese affirm their intention to join the Catholic Church.

ST. LOUIS – We have one life. What are we doing with it? Are we remembering our death?

WASHINGTON – By its very nature, Lent has an overall aspect of penitence to it, but that shouldn’t override the whole season, said Paulist Father Larry Rice, director of the University Catholic Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Salesian Sister Mary Greenman, a former instructor at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, said that while she felt “positively guarded” about the fact that the voice of women religious was heard, she still feels the pope’s summit on child protection missed the point.

Thank you, Pope Francis! Amid the calls for action by victims and the media, lamenting that the recent Vatican meeting of the presidents of the bishops’ conferences from around the world did not adopt concrete steps, we should not forget the importance of this initiative taken by Pope Francis.

Participants wishing to join the prayerful pro-life presence outside Planned Parenthood clinics in Redwood City and San Francisco during the annual 40 Days for Life campaign March 6-April 12 can sign up for time slots directly on organization’s website.

VATICAN CITY – Answering the Lord's call demands the courage to take a risk, but it is an invitation to become part of an important mission, Pope Francis said in his message for the 2019 World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

​​​​​​​Changing canon law to allow lay people “authentic and honest participation” could encourage renewal in a wounded church, an expert in church law said in a talk to the Catholic student group at UC Berkeley’s law school.

Catholic churches are filled with saints, from the men and women seen in the windows of a church to the relics set into every altar. Adding just one more can bring a crowd, as Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco recently turned out to venerate the incorrupt heart of St. John Vianney. 

Laity must become “prophetic” voices, say St. Anselm parishioners who are frustrated that Pope Francis’ recent summit on clergy sex abuse and church leadership failures fell short and are determined that non-ordained Catholics play a key role in the future church in the archdiocese.