News - May 2019 RSS Feed

In a 64-50 vote May 28, the Illinois House passed an abortion bill the Catholic Conference of Illinois called "an extreme measure" that allows "for the abortion of unborn life at any stage of pregnancy and for any reason."

Deacons, who are often at the front lines in consoling parishioners suffering personal loss, are being encouraged to support an archdiocese-wide plan to create parish-based mental health ministries.

Police in Vietnam have been accused of abducting a Catholic advocate for social and charitable activities.

Bernadette Gockowski set down her brushes after college. For nine years, she didn't make art. But an experience of grace led her to paint a watercolor portrait series of modern saints.

Asked about the immigration situation, a national church expert summed it up in two words: "Pretty rough. Catholic charities and diocesan services are overwhelmed."

VATICAN CITY - Nearly a year later, Pope Francis denied claims made by a former apostolic nuncio to the United States who accused him and other church officials of failing to act on accusations of abuse of conscience and power by former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick. "I knew nothing, obviously, of McCarrick," the pope said. "Nothing, nothing."

VATICAN CITY - If the world is to win the fight against climate change, its leaders must stop profiting from fossil fuels that threaten the survival and well-being of the planet and its inhabitants, Pope Francis said.

WASHINGTON - Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas questioned an affidavit and a dramatic raid by local police who descended on church property in the Texas diocese wearing "ski masks and SWAT gear" in mid-May saying they were looking for documents related to abuse investigations.     

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Presidents of the 22 Latin American and Caribbean bishops' conferences have expressed their support for Pope Francis and their commitment to address the region's challenges through pastoral work.

VATICAN CITY - Charity should be given freely and lived humbly with the poor, never letting it become hypocrisy, a slick business or a way to soothe a troubled conscience, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY - "Abortion is never the answer" to couples seeking a way to deal with a prenatal diagnosis of serious illness or disability, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis' latest effort to help the Catholic Church safeguard its members from abuse and hold its leaders accountable came in the form of a new universal law, "Vos estis lux mundi" ("You are the light of the world"), which takes effect June 1.

WASHINGTON - Jesus would be "indignant" and hold accountable those responsible for the deaths of at least five migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border, said Sister Marie Lucey of the Franciscan Action Network, one several faith leaders who on May 23 participated in a vigil to remember the young migrants.

In his message the pope said, "The most economically advanced societies are witnessing a growing trend toward extreme individualism which, combined with a utilitarian mentality and reinforced by the media, is producing a 'globalization of indifference.'"

Senate Bill 360, which requires priests to report any knowledge or suspicion of abuse gained while hearing the confessions of priests or church employees, passed Thursday by an overwhelming margin, with legislators voting 30-4 in favor of the measure.

With so many children in the world needing a good home and so many couples unable to have children, there must be a way to make adoption easier and less costly, Pope Francis said.

"Our mission is to minimize street gang activity in San Diego by providing integrated gang prevention, gang intervention and post-detention reentry services for former gang-involved individuals," explained Gilbreath, president of Rise Up Industries.

15 college students participated in a weeklong program designed to develop the next generation of Catholic nuclear nonproliferation specialists and activists.

The world in which our children are growing up is one in which common sense and common ground have been sacrificed for all-or-nothing ideological commitments that lack a consistent application of principles.

Church officials are urging Catholics to continue to oppose a California bill that would force priests to disclose information about child sexual abuse that they hear in the sacrament of confession.