Italy Locks Down Entire Country; Israel Tightens Entry

COLLEEN BARRY and ADAM GELLER / The Associated Press Mar 9, 2020 Virus fears also cause biggest drop in Wall Street stocks since 2008, and global oil prices suffer their worst percentage losses since 1991. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Pope Avoids Question of Married Priests in the Amazon

NICOLE WINFIELD . The Associated Press Feb 12, 2020 The papal dodge disappoints progressives and liberal Catholic women's groups while reassuring conservatives. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Iraq Parliament Votes to Expel U.S. Military

The Associated Press Jan 5, 2020 The resolution is backed by most Shiite members of parliament; many Sunni and Kurdish legislators apparently are opposed. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Pope Offers Christmas Message of Hope to a Suffering World

The Associated Press Dec 25, 2019 The pontiff calls for easing of tensions in conflict zones from Syria to Venezuela and spotlights the plight of migrants fleeing injustice. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Vatican Office Reveals Vast Caseload of Abuse

NICOLE WINFIELD / The Associated Press Dec 20, 2019 The church must now cope with the globalization of the scandal that once seemed largely confined to the English-speaking world. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

Pope Removes Shroud of Secrecy From Clergy Sex Abuse Cases

NICOLE WINFIELD / The Associated Press Dec 17, 2019 He abolishes rule criticized as leading to the protection of pedophiles. “The carnival of obscurity is over,” says a survivor and advocate. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Pope Denounces ‘Evil’ of Nuclear Weapons in Japan Trip

NICOLE WINFIELD and MARI YAMAGUCHI / The Associated Press Nov 23, 2019 He goes further than any other pontiff, saying merely having atomic bombs is to be condemned, ahead of his visits to Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Pope’s ‘Wrath of God’ Promise on Sex Abuse Doesn’t Appease Survivors

NICOLE WINFIELD / The Associated Press Feb 24, 2019 The pontiff is faulted for not offering a concrete plan to hold bishops accountable when they fail to protect their flocks from predators. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Vatican Is One of World’s Largest Gay Communities, Bombshell Book Claims

NICOLE WINFIELD and ANGELA CHARLTON / The Associated Press Feb 17, 2019 Author Frederic Martel details a gay subculture at the Holy See and says Catholic bishops and cardinals are leading double lives. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Vatican Spokesman, Deputy Resign Abruptly in a Period of Papal Crisis

NICOLE WINFIELD / The Associated Press Dec 31, 2018 The resignations signal deep internal problems as Pope Francis makes reforms in the wake of a global sex abuse and cover-up scandal. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Pope Tells Abusive Priests to Turn Themselves In

NICOLE WINFIELD / The Associated Press Dec 21, 2018 In his annual speech to Vatican bureaucrats, he vows that the church will "never again" hide the crimes of those who have molested children. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Police: Synagogue Gunman Said He Wanted All Jews to Die

MARK SCOLFORO, CLAUDIA LAUER and ALLEN G. BREED / The Associated Press Oct 28, 2018 Robert Gregory Bowers, accused of killing 11 in Pittsburgh on Saturday, told officers after his arrest that Jews were committing genocide, according to charging documents. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )