By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Jan 30, 2025 / 13:30 pm The archbishops of Washington and Baltimore offered prayers on Thursday after a deadly plane crash near downtown Washington, D.C., claimed dozens of lives on Wednesday night. Up to 67 people were feared dead on Thursday after the overnight crash in …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Jan 29, 2025 / 06:00 am It’s something most Catholics have probably heard at Mass at some point: An announcement that “gluten-free” or “low-gluten” hosts are available either during Communion or directly afterward so that Catholics with gluten sensitivities can participate in the Blessed Sacrament with …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Jan 27, 2025 / 10:35 am The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on Sunday argued that its long-standing refugee program is a “work of mercy” after Vice President JD Vance criticized the bishops’ positions on immigration issues. Vance had made the remarks during an interview on …

By Tina Dennelly CNA Staff, Jan 11, 2025 / 19:45 pm U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Pope Francis on Saturday and named him a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction, the White House said in a statement. As the nation’s highest honor, the medal is “presented to individuals …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Jan 9, 2025 / 12:30 pm Archdiocesan officials and local Church leaders in Los Angeles are working to shelter and assist victims of the ongoing wildfires there as the blaze consumes entire neighborhoods and lays waste to significant portions of the suburban area. The fires began …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Jan 2, 2025 / 11:20 am Harrisburg Bishop Timothy Senior is urging Catholics to combat human trafficking in Pennsylvania and beyond, calling on elected leaders to address the crisis and for citizens to take steps to fight it in their communities. In a Dec. 29 pastoral …

By Daniel Payne CNA Newsroom, Dec 23, 2024 / 09:40 am President Joe Biden on Monday commuted the death row sentences of more than three dozen federal prisoners, ordering that the formerly condemned inmates serve out life sentences instead of being executed by the government. The White House announced the clemencies on …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 16:20 pm Two bottles of rare bourbon signed by Pope Francis are projected to net up to $20,000 for several Kentucky charities. Father Jim Sichko, a priest in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, and a papal Missionary of Mercy, told CNA that the …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Nov 18, 2024 / 15:00 pm Police in Arizona are investigating an October parish fire as an act of arson, with authorities seeking help identifying a suspect in the blaze amid warnings from federal law enforcement over increased arson activity against houses of worship. Fire officials …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2024 / 17:35 pm Many Catholics may be unaware that they can obtain not one but eight plenary indulgences for departed souls in the first week of November. For centuries, the Catholic Church widely observed All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1) as an octave, extending …