Catholic church

Pope Francis has declared slain Archbishop Oscar Romero a martyr. Previous popes declined to do so, possibly because of Romero's role in liberation theology.

On his return from a weeklong trip to Asia, Pope Francis emphasized the church's ban on artificial means of birth control and said Catholics should practice "responsible parenthood."

Robert Finn, head of Kansas City's diocese, is the only U.S. bishop convicted of shielding a sexually abusive priest. Supporters say Finn received conflicting advice about how to handle the problem.

Rev. Gregorio Lopez Gorostieta's body was recovered after his abduction earlier this week in the southern state of Guerrero, where 43 students disappeared in September.

Despite detractors within the church, Pope Francis' emphasis on humility and mercy has won him strong support worldwide. He has addressed thorny issues such as Vatican finances and clerical sex abuse.

From her convent on a sacred mountain, Benedictine nun Teresa Forcades — a feminist medical doctor with a Ph.D. in public health — is a prominent leftist and leading advocate of Catalan independence.

The Rev. Kelvin Apurillo rode out Haiyan on the second floor of his parish church. Two-thirds of his parishioners are now dead, missing or have left, and he's struggling to make sense of the destruction. In the majority Roman Catholic country, the church has played a key role in relief efforts.

A woman in Michigan says that a Catholic hospital failed to give her adequate health care when she came to the hospital after her water broke when she was 18 weeks pregnant. That has sparked a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union.

In Brazil, evangelical Christians have made inroads into the Catholic community with innovations like drive-through prayer centers and massive outreach fairs featuring popular pastors and pop stars. In a nation long dominated by Catholics, about 22 percent of Brazilians now identify as evangelical.