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April 11, 2013 Emil Kapaun is being honored for his "extraordinary heroism" during the Korean War. The Catholic priest, who died in a prisoner of war camp in 1951, is also a potential candidate for sainthood.

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March 22, 2013 Seafood consumption typically increases during Lent in the U.S. The jump is traditionally attributed to Catholics observing the church's Lenten ban on eating meat on Fridays. But data suggest younger Americans aren't keeping up the fish tradition.

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May 25, 2012 Defenders of an Obama administration rule requiring most health insurance plans to offer access to contraception without copays say there's no validity to arguments it violates religious freedom.

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May 11, 2012 The bishops want to know if the iconic group has ties or views that conflict with Catholic teaching. This is important because many of the troops are sponsored by Catholic parishes.

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April 6, 2012 A long-standing myth holds that Catholics eat fish on Fridays because of a secret pact a medieval pope made to sell more fish. That's just a fish tale. The real story behind fish Fridays is much better.

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February 13, 2012 Conventional wisdom says the presidential election will be decided on the state of the economy. But, as recent controversies attest, don't be surprised if the culture wars — battles over abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage — also play a role.

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September 23, 2011 Death penalty opponents seized on the execution of Davis, whose conviction of killing a police officer was based on questionable eyewitness accounts, as an event that could turn the tide against state-sponsored executions. History, however, suggests that despite outrage in some quarters over the killing of Davis and other executions, public opinion will remain firmly supportive.

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May 11, 2009 On today's Talk: Ted Koppel on interrogation techniques, Elizabeth Edwards' publicity blitz, celibacy for Catholic priests, and The Dangerous World of Butterflies.

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