U.S. & World News

Vandals defaced the long-revered statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus outside St. Lawrence Basilica over the July 3-4 weekend, but it was quickly restored by parish staff.

Pope Francis continued to have a "satisfactory" recovery from colon surgery, and by July 7 doctors had removed his intravenous drip, the Vatican press office said.

The organization of the universal Catholic Church has a precise hierarchy, but there is no such thing as a "vice pope," who steps in when the reigning pontiff is traveling abroad, ill or under anesthesia.

Before going to the hospital for colon surgery July 4, Pope Francis told a crowd in St. Peter's Square that he would be visiting Hungary and Slovakia Sept. 12-15.

Reciting the Angelus prayer July 4 with visitors in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis gave his usual reflection on the day's Gospel reading and announced a September trip to Hungary and Slovakia, but did not mention that he was about to go to the hospital for surgery.

Seafarers kept products moving globally during the coronavirus pandemic, but too many of them have no access to vaccines, have been stranded on ships and often face the danger of piracy, the Vatican said.

English and Welsh Catholic bishops expressed relief after members of the House of Commons withdrew proposals to legalize abortion on demand up to birth and to make it a crime to protest outside an abortion clinic.

Activists who oppose the death penalty said the Justice Department's temporary stop of federal executions is a step in the right direction, but not enough.