JOE GUNN

What would you say about hunger, if the United Nations wanted to hear from you?

SR. LOUISE ZDUNICH, NDC

I'm curious about where Jesus spent the time between 12 and 30.

Are you aware of any research that would indicate where Jesus was in this period of his life?

Pope Benedict has reaffirmed his trust in the Vatican's secretary of state and defended him against a barrage of "unjust criticism" in the Italian media.

Pope Benedict has named Archbishop Gerhard Muller of Regensburg, Germany, the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Five years after Pope Benedict lifted most restrictions on celebration of the Tridentine Mass, a senior Vatican official says much work remains to make the traditional liturgy fully accessible to the faithful, and to bring its influence to bear on the form of the Mass most Catholics attend.

The Holy See sustained its largest budget deficit of the past decade in 2011 as a result of global financial trends, the Vatican said July 5.

When the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asked Catholics to dedicate 14 days to the preservation of religious freedom through prayer, education and public action, they listened.

New text in an exhibit at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial offers a less-critical assessment of the actions of Pope Pius XII in dealing with the Nazi persecution of Jews during the Second World War.

In an effort to respond to a "clear and pressing" need for priests, the Vatican released a set of guidelines to help bishops and Church communities promote, recruit and educate a new generation of men for the priesthood.

Pope Benedict has approved the heroic virtues of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the Vatican announced June 28, clearing the way for the advancement of his sainthood cause.