A South Korean ferry sank three hours from its destination with 475 people on board, many of them high school students. The Sewol ferry was bound for the island of Jeju from Incheon when it made a sharp turn and…

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of Elaine and Jonathan Huguenin, a New Mexico photographer sued by a lesbian couple after Elaine refused to take pictures at their commitment ceremony in 2006 because of her religious convictions….

The U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee voted to officially urge Attorney General Eric Holder to consider criminal charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner. The committee’s recommendation is based on evidence it has uncovered about her alleged…

After speaking strongly about religious freedom as a key American foreign policy objective in February, President Obama failed to talk about the issue with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, a few weeks later. Saudi Arabia has one of the worst…

Brendan Eich was forced to resign under pressure from Mozilla, a company he help form and build. He was under severe pressure from the company because of intense controversy over a mere $1000 donation he made to the campaign for…

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter visited the Vatican March 24-26 to work out the broad issues of the Roman Catholic 8th World Meeting of Families to be held in Philadelphia in September 22-27, 2015.  The Vatican…

Lent is the Roman Catholic season of “of fasting, repentance, moderation, spiritual discipline and reflection on the teachings of Jesus Christ.” In an ecumenical effort, six churches in the Auburn, California area, are celebrating lent together. They are St. Teresa…

The Republic of China, or Taiwan “maintains a friendly, close relationship” with its only diplomatic ally in Europe, the Holy See, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Based on the solid relationship we will continue to enhance our ties with…

European Union Banks will be brought under centralized control by a new agency supervised by the European Central Bank. The new agency will have power to shut down failing euro zone banks and have a fund to help cover the…

Issa Kassissieh, the ambassador of Palestine to the Holy See wrote a letter to the pope recently.  “From the Holy Land of Palestine, I am pleased to deliver sentiments of love and admiration from the Palestinian people towards a loving…

Pope Francis received her majesty Queen Elizabeth for an official “tea” at the Vatican recently where the two exchanged casual conversation and gifts. The 17-minute meeting was the fifth encounter the 87-year-old monarch has had with a pope. Her first…

At a recent book festival in Charlottesville, Virginia, Ambassador Francis Rooney spoke about the Vatican and its diplomatic links to the United States and other nations during a panel discussion. Ambassador Rooney was President George W. Bush’s envoy to the…