Catholic World News is an online independent news service founded in 1996 by Philip F. Lawler, formerly of the Heritage Foundation, providing news concerning the Roman Catholic Church. Staffed by lay Catholic journalists, its editorial policy is generally conservative with an emphasis on orthodoxy.

It features an archive of over 47,000 news stories as well as editorial commentary (the “Off the Record” blog) and a forum for subscribers (“Sound Off”). It averages 200,000 visits per day.

The service was recently purchased by Trinity Communications, a non-profit corporation focused on Catholic organization web-development.

CWN reports on secular affairs from a Catholic point of view. The site’s list of favored topics include: