Washington D.C., Jul 16, 2019 CNA.- Citing disagreements with board leaders over whether Planned Parenthood should focus on health care or abortion advocacy, the organization’s president is stepping down.
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Denver, Colo., Jul 16, 2019 CNA.- Shortly before launching the third season of 13 Reasons Why, Netflix has announced that it is removing a scene depicting a graphic teen suicide from the show’s first season.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced July 15 it would begin implementing the Trump administration's "Protect Life Rule" to bar Title X funds from being used for promoting or providing abortion as family planning.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci with a painting by the artist that will draw crowds but also pay solemn tribute to the larger-than-life Italian Renaissance painter, architect and inventor.
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Philadelphia, Pa., Jul 16, 2019 CNA.- A federal appeals court on Friday unanimously blocked Department of Health and Human Services rules that would have exempted employers who want to opt out of coverage for artificial contraception for moral or religious reasons.
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Orange, Calif., Jul 15, 2019 CNA.- The Diocese of Orange will dedicate its Christ Cathedral July 17 after a seven-year, $77-million renovation process. “I would pray and hope that it (the Christ Cathedral) will build on the heritage we have and help bring new life and commitment and joy in the age we live and that through here the diocese will have a focal point of unity where God will be known and loved,” Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange told CNA.
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Washington D.C., Jul 15, 2019 CNA.- The Trump administration announced Monday evening that parts of the Protect Life Rule, which prohibits recipients of Title X family planning funds to refer or provide abortion services, will go into effect immediately.
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New York City, N.Y., Jul 14, 2019 CNA.- Poor women are the most likely population to obtain an abortion. While it may seem logical that a woman who is already struggling financially is one of the most likely candidates for an abortion, the trend is relatively recent, reports the New York Times.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Trump administration announced the U.S. departments of Justice and Homeland Security are adopting an interim "third country rule" requiring immigrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to first apply for refugee status in another country.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Pew Research Center's annual report on restrictions on religion worldwide showed the United States had the worst scores in the Americas in three of the eight categories Pew surveyed.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Many Catholic and other faith leaders noted that the Gospel reading for July 14 -- the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was to carry out deportation orders for some immigrants -- was the parable of the good Samaritan from the Gospel of St. Luke.
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NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (CNS) -- Just before the July 6 closing Mass for the Archbishop Lyke Conference that seeks to enrich liturgies and ministries and promote evangelization at parishes serving Black Catholics, Andrew Lyke reflected on the legacy of his late uncle for whom the conference was named.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- Deacon Jose Montoya stares in horror. What if the vicious surprise punch had hit an elderly monk instead of on his own face? Such a blow might have killed a frailer man. And what if the attacker had wielded a knife or a gun?
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (CNS) -- While most of the country was winding down from its Independence Day festivities, another type of celebration was underway at the National Right to Life Convention July 5-6 in Charleston.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Trump administration is weighing a plan that uses a different definition of inflation to determine who lives in poverty and who does not. The plan, floated in the spring, has raised concerns among Catholic advocates for low-income and working families. They said that hundreds of thousands of people would no longer be eligible to receive assistance under federal programs if it is adopted.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- A recent newspaper report details claims that senior church leaders in the United States knew as far back as 2012 about complaints against a West Virginia bishop whose spending habits and recent accusations of sexual misconduct have dogged the body of U.S. bishops at a time when they're seeking a path toward greater accountability for themselves.
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PHILADELPHIA (CNS) -- The laity can lead the way in renewing a church wounded by the decades-long sexual abuse scandal, according to Meghan Cokeley, director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Office for the New Evangelization.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit considers the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the Catholic Health Association voiced its support for the act, declaring access to health care a basic human right.
Read moreHARTFORD, Conn. (CNS) -- Connecticut's Catholic bishops, in a joint message to the state's Catholics, called for a "complete overhaul" of U.S. immigration policy. The July 10 letter was sparked by the photo showing the bodies of two Salvadorans, Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez, and his daughter, Angie Valeria, both of whom drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico to the United States.
Read moreBALTIMORE (CNS) -- As the Nazi regime systematically killed those it deemed mentally ill or "unproductive," a fearless bishop of the Diocese of Munster, Germany, took to the pulpit in 1941 to denounce and challenge what was happening.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The directors of "Unplanned," the life-affirming, true story of a Planned Parenthood clinic director turned pro-life activist, described a White House summit on social media as a needed opportunity for conservatives to discuss how Facebook, Twitter and Google and other outlets are shutting out their voices.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Two Catholic bishops are among nearly 200 faith leaders calling on President Donald Trump's administration to pursue diplomacy to resolve conflicts with Iran. Bishop John E. Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, bishop-president of Pax Christi USA, and Bishop Marc Stenger of Troyes, France, co-president of Pax Christi International, were among the signers of a statement released July 8.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (CNS) -- As this school year wound down, the halls of the Jubilee Catholic Schools in Memphis, which opened 20 years ago, became still. For students, faculty and staff, it was hardly the usual end-of-the-year packing up, because when these nine schools reopen in the fall they will not be Catholic schools but charter schools.
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FRESH MEADOWS, N.Y. (CNS) -- "Yes, there is a vocation crisis, but we have to realize student loans are a substantial inhibitor to our vocations and the people wanting to give their lives," said Norvilia Etienne, a recent New York City college graduate.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Visitors to Smithsonian art museums in Washington got a special treat this summer when an exhibit on Chinese empresses also featured a rare display by two Jesuit missionaries whose artwork was in the past largely seen only by royalty and high government officials.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Trump administration named a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican to chair a new commission that will review the role of human rights in foreign policy. Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard Law School professor, will chair the Commission on Unalienable Rights, which is expected to elevate concerns about abortion and religious freedom.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- In a last-minute twist, a California bill that would have required priests to break the sacramental seal of confession was shelved by its sponsor amid a remarkable grassroots campaign mounted by the state's Catholics, members of other faith groups, and religious liberty advocates from across the country.
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Washington D.C., Jul 8, 2019 CNA.- Mary Ann Glendon, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, will head a new human rights advisory body to the U.S. State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Rose Lavelle skyrocketed from a star player, loping across the soccer fields at her Catholic girls high school in Cincinnati, to a superstar, scoring three goals for the U.S. women's team at the World Cup and winning the Bronze Ball as the third-best player in the tournament.
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PEORIA, Ill. (CNS) -- As Bonnie Engstrom watched lifesaving measures being taken for her son, who had been born just moments before without a pulse or drawing breath, she asked for help from the person whose prayerful support she had sought throughout her pregnancy: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
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PEORIA, Ill. (CNS) -- With "overwhelming joy," Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria announced July 6 that Pope Francis had approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agreed in a July 1 court filing to postpone implementation of a new conscience protection rule "because it is the most efficient way to adjudicate the final rule on the merits."
Read moreCINCINNATI (CNS) -- A federal judge July 3 granted a preliminary injunction blocking an Ohio ban on abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. Judge Michael Barrett of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio said in 12-page order the court conclude that the law, signed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in April, "places an 'undue burden' on a woman's right to choose a pre-viability abortion, and ... plaintiffs are certain to succeed on the merits of their claim."
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In his "Salute to America" speech July 4 at the Lincoln Memorial, President Donald Trump praised the work and dedication of a woman religious and the Catholic man who was the flight director of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing.
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OREM, Utah (CNS) -- The nation's Bill of Rights guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan told a crowd of more than 3,000 gathered in Orem for a patriotic event held each year around the Fourth of July.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- "A society where children are no longer being born is a society where people no longer understand what makes life worth living," Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles said at the annual summer liturgy conference hosted by the University of Notre Dame's McGrath Institute for Church Life.
Read moreLOUISVILLE, Ky. (CNS) -- A Franklin County Circuit judge ruled July 2 that Kentucky's death penalty regulations are unconstitutional because they fail to provide for an automatic stay of execution for intellectually disabled inmates.
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CHICAGO (CNS) -- A few prayers to Blessed John Henry Newman became a "constant dialogue" and then a desperate response to an emergency for Melissa Villalobos of Chicago. Her healing, which saved her life and the life of her unborn child, was accepted as the miracle needed for the 19th-century British cardinal's canonization.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Leadership of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in an op-ed cast blame on government policies for recent child deaths near the U.S.-Mexico border. In a June 30 op-ed published by The Hill newspaper in Washington, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB president and vice president, respectively, and Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman the Committee on Migration, called attention to the recent deaths of a Salvadoran father and daughter who drowned while trying to cross the Rio Grande River near McAllen, Texas, in late June, as well as the deaths of other children who died while in immigration authorities' custody in 2019 and 2018.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic bishops from both sides of the border near McAllen, Texas, issued a joint statement expressing condolences to the families of migrant children and parents who recently drowned trying to cross the river into the United States.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Bishop Mark J. Seitz of the U.S. border Diocese of El Paso, Texas, walked and prayed with a group of migrants at the Lerdo International Bridge in El Paso June 27 as they sought asylum in the U.S.
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PEORIA, Ill. (CNS) -- As a small group of witnesses silently looked on, the mortal remains of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen were interred at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria late in the afternoon of June 27, completing a transfer from St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York that began early that morning.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- Jewish and Catholic leaders met in a spirit of joy and cooperation at a 25th anniversary celebration marking the Vatican's recognition of the state of Israel. The historic step began with the signing of the "Fundamental Agreement Between the Holy See and the State of Israel," which established diplomatic relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish state. The formal opening of relations took place June 15, 1994.
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Washington D.C., Jun 26, 2019 CNA.- A new poll has shown that abortion is a top consideration among a large section of voters, indicating the issue may be a crucial policy battleground in the upcoming 2020 elections.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The bodies of a young father and his toddler are expected to be returned to El Salvador in late June for burial, days after they were swept up by a current in the Rio Grande River during an attempted border crossing into the United States.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Catholic community has created its own Catholic Match, Bible apps and even confession preparation apps. Now, it has a Catholic Venmo. Cathio, a free payment processor application for iPhone and Android, will "transform the way the Catholic community moves money," founders said in a news release announcing the app.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Supreme Court, for now, blocked the Trump administration's added citizenship question to the 2020 census, sending the case back to a lower court. A 5-4 ruling handed down June 27, which was written by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined in part by the other justices, said the administration's reason for adding the citizenship question "seems to have been contrived."
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (CNS) -- After a nearly two-year legal battle, an unlicensed abortion facility started booking appointments in a location in South Bend June 19 and planned to begin offering chemical abortions the week of June 23 amid strong objections from the local community.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (CNS) -- Seminarian Jason Paul Marshall from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe who lost his life in a bus crash in Colorado was "a humble man who deeply cared for others," said Archbishop John C. Wester in a June 25 statement.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The State Department's newly released annual report on international religious freedom shows continued attacks and abuse by governments and societies against religious minorities in their respective countries.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNS) -- Participants at a diocesan listening session on racism in Columbus spoke about hurtful experiences both inside and outside the church, but also expressed optimism about efforts to recognize the problem and respond to it.
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Washington D.C., Jun 24, 2019 CNA.- Amid a flurry of headlines denouncing the Vatican for releasing a document condemning “gender theory,” theology professors and Catholic educators told CNA that the document will be helpful in setting priorities for Catholic educators going forward, as Catholic schools respond to questions about LGBT issues.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong gingerly stepped onto the surface of the moon July 20, 1969, Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno had no idea that some day he would become the director of the Vatican Observatory.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The president's threats came and went in tweets, but priests, women and men religious, church-affiliated organizations and even some bishops from around the country were left trying to dampen the fear they sparked among immigrant communities of faith.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Supreme Court, citing racial bias in the prosecutor's jury selection, overturned the death sentence of a Mississippi African American man who had been tried six times for a quadruple murder charge.
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BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CNS) -- For the second straight year, the Brooklyn clergy showed their prowess on the softball diamond with a 2-1 win over principals and teachers of diocesan schools. The annual Collars vs. Scholars game was played June 17 at the MCU Park baseball stadium in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. It's the home field of the New York Mets-affiliated Brooklyn Cyclones.
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OMAHA, Neb. (CNS) -- As a young priest, Father Jeffrey Lorig was struggling. Ordained two years earlier, in 2004, he began to question his vocation. He took a leave of absence, but his soul was filled with darkness. He was depressed, and the priesthood no longer seemed attractive. He dreaded returning to parish ministry.
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Providence, R.I., Jun 20, 2019 CNA.- Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo signed the Reproductive Privacy Acton Wednesday. The actcodifies the Supreme Court decisionRoe v. Wadeinto state law. The lawpermits unrestricted access to abortion at any time up to“fetal viability,” a disputed term with no fixed scientific meaning. Even after supposed viability, abortion will still be legal in cases where the life or health of the mother is at risk.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Honored as one of the U.S. State Department's "heroes" in combatting human trafficking, Comboni Sister Gabriella Bottani urged action to fight the situations that make people, especially women and children, vulnerable to trafficking.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Immigration policies rolled out during the Trump administration have spread fear among immigrant populations in the U.S., but Catholic organizations and parishes have responded with renewed efforts focused on helping those groups, a new survey says.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- Two Catholic high schools in the Indianapolis Archdiocese took different actions in late June over employees who are in same-sex marriages. Cathedral Catholic High School announced June 24 that it was firing a gay teacher to avoid "forfeiting" its Catholic identity just three days after the Indianapolis archbishop announced "with great sadness" that Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School was no longer recognized as a Catholic institution because of its refusal to dismiss a gay employee.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (CNS) -- In a remarkably frank and detailed speech, the Vatican official heading the department charged with reviewing clergy sexual abuse allegations told an assembly of Catholic journalists that his investigators and the press "share the same goal, which is the protection of minors, and we have the same wish to leave the world a little better than how we found it."
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a 7-2 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of preserving a historic cross-shaped memorial in Bladensburg, Maryland saying the cross did not endorse religion. The June 20 ruling reversed a lower court decision last year.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The House of Representatives passed a bill June 19 that will overturn at least nine pro-life policies, including reinstating taxpayer-funded abortion domestically and abroad, according to Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey. The bill passed 226 to 203, with every Republican voting against it.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services banned the National Institutes of Health from using human fetal stem cells from electively aborted babies for government funded research June 5.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services called on President Donald Trump's administration to seek "sustained dialogue ... to de-escalate the current situation that is a danger to both the region and the world."
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ALBANY, N.Y. (CNS) -- Measles, chicken pox and other diseases are making a comeback as more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children out of the fear of side effects, especially with regard to the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine. Skeptics are concerned it leads to sickness autism or death.
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