CNA Staff, Oct 6, 2020 / 04:32 pm MT (CNA).- Just two weeks after the dispensation from Sunday Mass attendance was lifted in the Diocese of Green Bay, Bishop David Ricken has reinstated it, due to sharply rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the area. “In the past few weeks …

CNA Staff, Oct 6, 2020 / 09:30 am MT (CNA).- Former vice president Joe Biden, the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, repeated his pledge to codify a right to abortion into federal law should the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision be overturned by the Supreme Court. Speaking at an outdoor …

by Matt Hadro Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 5, 2020 / 01:45 pm MT (CNA).- Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito on Monday said that the Supreme Court’s Obergefell ruling is already posing problems for religious freedom. “By choosing to privilege a novel constitutional right [to same-sex marriage] over the religious …

by Matt Hadro Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 6, 2020 / 06:00 am MT (CNA).- In his new encyclical, Pope Francis reiterated that the death penalty is “inadmissible.” Did the pope change centuries of Church teaching with that statement? A leading theologian told CNA that the pope’s teaching was a development, …

CNA Staff, Oct 5, 2020 / 11:30 am MT (CNA).- The bishops of the United States have praised the release of Pope Francis’ new encyclical, calling it a “profound and beautiful” treatment of human dignity. After the text of the new papal document, “Fratelli tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship,” …

Washington D.C., Oct 4, 2020 / 08:14 pm MT (CNA).- The head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said Sunday that he is praying for a full recovery for President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who both tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, Oct. 2. “I …

by Mary Farrow Denver Newsroom, Oct 4, 2020 / 05:11 pm MT (CNA).- The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court would make her, if confirmed, the sixth Roman Catholic on the nine-person court. While this is deeply concerning to some – and a reason to …

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2020 / 03:06 am MT (CNA).- Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, has formed an advisory council on racism, the diocese announced this week. The Bishop’s Advisory Council on Racism includes 14 members – both clergy and lay people – who will serve for three years. …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Oct 4, 2020 / 08:05 am MT (CNA).- A Vatican presentation Sunday for Pope Francis’ third encyclical, Fratelli Tutti highlighted the involvement of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity and its plans to promote the document. “Fratelli tutti” was presented to journalists and other guests at …

Vatican City, Oct 4, 2020 / 04:17 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis presented his vision for overcoming the world’s growing divisions, laid bare by the coronavirus crisis, in his new encyclical Fratelli Tutti, published Sunday. In the letter, released Oct. 4, the pope urged people of good will to promote …