Author Archive
USCCB committee chairmen applaud decision on transgender directive
IMAGE: CNS photo/Jonathan Drake, Reuters By WASHINGTON (CNS) — The chairmen of two U.S. bishops’ committees Feb. 24 praised President Donald Trump’s repeal of the Obama administration’s directive on transgender access to bathrooms. The guidance, issued last May by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education, …
Corned beef conundrum: Some dioceses give St. Patrick’s Day dispensation
IMAGE: CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — When St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday, as it does about every seven years, the Lenten rule requiring Catholics to abstain from meat on Fridays collides with the long-held tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage. The two …
Pope to priests: Defend marriage ministering to those in irregular unions
IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Reaching out to and guiding couples in cohabitation with tenderness and compassion is essential to promoting and defending the sanctity of marriage, Pope Francis said. Couples who have chosen to live together without getting married in the church “are, in …
Ecumenism is a common journey, not a lab experiment, pope says
IMAGE: CNS/Maria Grazia Picciarella, pool By Junno Arocho Esteves ROME (CNS) — The path toward Christian unity can’t be found isolated in a laboratory hashing out theological differences, but rather by walking together on a common journey, Pope Francis said. While theological dialogue is necessary, Catholics and Anglicans can continue …
Pope, top Curia officials launch new style of ‘ad limina’ visit
IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — For decades, the visits bishops are required to make to the Vatican were known for their formality and routine style, but Pope Francis launched “a whole new style of ‘ad limina’ visits,” a Chilean bishop said. The bishops were …
Discovery of Earth-sized planets boosts hope of finding alien life
IMAGE: CNS photo/NASA handout via Reuters By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The quest to find life on other planets got a boost when astronomers confirmed the existence of at least seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a red dwarf star just 40 light years away. Three of the planets are …
Promote life by protecting, sharing clean water, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right and a key component in protecting human life, Pope Francis said. “The right to water is essential for the survival of persons and decisive for the future of humanity,” …
South Sudan bishops condemn atrocities, appeal for help to prevent famine
IMAGE: CNS photo/Siegfried Modola, Reuters By Simon Caldwell MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — South Sudan’s Catholic bishops asked for the world’s help to prevent mass starvation that threatens the lives of more than 5 million people. In a separate statement, they also said the looming famine was a man-made catastrophe. They …
Literacy center teaches reading, writing, helps students’ self-esteem too
IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Tyler Orsburn WASHINGTON (CNS) — Mario Gamboa is on the move. There are too many words to read, and too few Latinos who can read them. His first stop, the Guatemala consulate in Silver Spring, Maryland. His second visit, a Spanish AM radio station across …
Australian archbishops: Leadership on abuse was ‘catastrophic failure’
IMAGE: CNS photo/David Moir, EPA By SYDNEY (CNS) — Five Australian archbishops testified before a government commission on child sexual abuse, reiterating apologies and taking responsibility for actions that occurred before they were church leaders. They also said they believed the culture of church and society had changed enough that …