by Matt Hadro Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 11, 2020 / 02:00 pm MT (CNA).- After Virginia’s governor appeared to suggest that church attendance is immaterial to the act of worship, one theologian says that Catholics see worship differently. On Thursday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) asked religious leaders to consider …

CNA Staff, Dec 11, 2020 / 12:09 am MT (CNA).- Americans who attend religious services weekly are the only demographic group appearing to show improved mental health in 2020, despite the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic and other events, says a new survey. The survey otherwise shows significant self-reported mental …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Dec 10, 2020 / 10:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis’ Midnight Mass will begin at 7:30 p.m. this year, as the Italian government extends a national curfew through the Christmas season. The pope’s traditional celebration of Christmas “Mass during the Night,” which takes place at …

CNA Staff, Dec 9, 2020 / 06:48 pm MT (CNA).- The Feast of St. Juan Diego, an Aztec peasant who witnessed an indigenous apparition of the Virgin Mary and later became the first canonized indigenous American saint, is a time for hope and healing for Native Americans and for recognition …

by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Dec 10, 2020 / 08:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis has decreed a Year of St. Joseph in which Catholics will have the opportunity to obtain a special plenary indulgence. Until December 2021, there are many new ways that Catholics can receive an indulgence, including …

Vatican City, Dec 10, 2020 / 07:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis has granted a plenary indulgence to Catholics celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at home this Saturday. Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes announced the pope’s decision following a Dec. 6 Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady …

CNA Staff, Dec 10, 2020 / 12:19 am MT (CNA).- The use of lethal injections will no longer be allowed for executions in the state of Ohio, and an alternative method must be found if capital punishment is to continue in the state, Governor Mike DeWine said this week. In …

CNA Staff, Dec 8, 2020 / 04:14 pm MT (CNA).- Two high schools in the Diocese of Lansing have joined a lawsuit against a public health order keeping schools in Michigan closed for in-person learning, calling the order “scientifically, educationally and constitutionally unjustified.” Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced Dec. 7 an …

CNA Staff, Dec 9, 2020 / 03:30 am MT (CNA).- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) applauded a federal judge’s recent decision to restore the full Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, including the resumption of new applicants. Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the USCCB’s …

CNA Staff, Dec 9, 2020 / 01:00 pm MT (CNA).- California churches scored another victory in their cases against state coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday. The South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista is now one step closer to winning its push for unrestricted indoor worship during the pandemic, after …