VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday promoted his personal secretary to head of the papal household, giving Monsignor Georg Gaenswein even larger influence in organizing the aging pontiff's schedule and meetings. By Alessandro Speciale.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (RNS) Kateri Tekakwitha on Sunday was declared the first Native American saint, and while some see her story as an affirmation of Native Americans' place in the Catholic Church, others view it as the result of the excesses and arrogance of colonialism. By Renee K. Gadoua.

(RNS) Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney accused Democratic President Barack Obama of launching a “war on religion” in a television ad released Thursday. By Shira Schoenberg.

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. (RNS) Some critics say many Catholic sisters have been using the Second Vatican Council to justify positions and activities that are in conflict with official church teachings, but some nuns say they are living by Vatican II's call to get out of the convent and into the community. By Kim Lawton of Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

(RNS/ENInews) Leading church historian Diarmaid MacCulloch believes Christianity faces a "bright future" worldwide, but predicts the Roman Catholic church will undergo a major schism over its moral and social teaching. By Jonathan Luxmoore.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI turns 85 and marks the seventh anniversary of his papacy amid renewed speculations about his health and possible resignation. By Alessandro Speciale.