by Mary Farrow Denver Newsroom, Jan 13, 2021 / 09:01 pm MT (CNA).- Three North Dakota state legislators introduced a bill this week that would oblige Catholic priests to violate the seal of confession in cases of confirmed or suspected child abuse, on penalty of imprisonment or heavy fines. The …

by Matt Hadro Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 13, 2021 / 12:13 am MT (CNA).- China remains a primary human rights concern in 2021, a federal religious freedom commissioner told CNA this week. “China remains of utmost concern to USCIRF,” said Nadine Maenza, commissioner at the U.S. Commissioner on International Religious …

Vatican City, Jan 11, 2021 / 11:45 am MT (CNA).- On Jan. 11, Pope Francis published an apostolic letter issued motu proprio (which means “on his own impulse” in Latin), modifying canon law regarding women’s access to the ministries of lector and acolyte. He also released a letter to Vatican …

by Matt Hadro Washington D.C., Jan 11, 2021 / 03:34 pm MT (CNA).- In a joint statement Jan. 11, the U.S. bishops’ domestic justice chair Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, joined by pro-life chair Archbishop Joseph Naumann, called for a stop to planned federal executions on Tuesday, Thursday, and …

Vatican City, Jan 12, 2021 / 03:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope emeritus Benedict XVI will receive the coronavirus vaccine as soon as it is available, his personal secretary said Tuesday. Archbishop Georg Gänswein told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, Jan. 12 that the 93-year-old former pope would be vaccinated …

CNA Staff, Jan 11, 2021 / 07:30 am MT (CNA).- On Sunday, Jan. 10, the internet was abuzz with false reports of an overnight blackout at the Vatican, accompanied by a series of claims concerning Pope Francis, the Italian police, and the FBI. The claims were widely shared by conspiracy …

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Jan 11, 2021 / 04:05 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis issued a motu proprio Monday changing canon law to allow women to serve as lectors and acolytes. In the motu proprio “Spiritus Domini,” issued on Jan. 11, the pope changed canon 230 § 1 of …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Jan 10, 2021 / 02:30 pm MT (CNA).- In the face of political discord and self-interest, we have an obligation to promote unity, peace, and the common good in society and in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said Sunday. “At this moment, a politician, even …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Jan 10, 2021 / 03:52 pm MT (CNA).- For the first time in over 54 years, the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land were able to offer Mass on their property at the site of Christ’s baptism, located in the West Bank. …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Jan 9, 2021 / 09:51 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis has said he was surprised by the news of the incursion of pro-Donald Trump protestors into the U.S. Capitol Building this week, and has encouraged people to learn from the event in order to heal. …