The pope’s encyclical on the environment carries a profoundly religious message about care for the earth, wedded to a new call for activism, say religious scholars Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim.

The surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has given rise to speculations that the next pontiff to lead the Catholic Church will hail from the developing world, says expert James P. McCartin.

Foreign policy is taking a backseat to the economy in the midterm elections, says CFR’s James Lindsay, with issues like START, immigration, and trade on hold.

At a World Bank - International Monetary Fund meeting this week in Washington, DC, an agreement was reached on a plan to provide around $40 billion in debt relief to eighteen of the world’s poorest c…

Pope Francis will use his upcoming high-level visits to the U.S. and UN to press the concerns of the poor and marginalized, says expert Kenneth Himes.