National News
Abuse crisis, prayer top agenda for bishops’ meeting
UPDATED - Discussion and voting on concrete measures to address the abuse crisis and a day of spiritual discernment will be the focus for the U.S. bishops when they meet Nov. 12-14.
Big unknown: Scope of federal investigation of Pa. Catholic Church
Observers speculate that the federal probe of the church might focus on the RICO law designed to target organized crime, or the Mann Act, which prohibits moving people across state lines for illegal sex acts.
Head of U.S. bishops condemns shooting at synagogue, all ‘acts of hate’
Cardinal DiNardo and other U.S. Catholic prelates said the bishops stand with "our brothers and sisters of the Jewish community" after a horrific shooting Oct. 27 in Pittsburgh that left 11 dead and 6 injured.
Benedictines help secure funds for water project that’s changing lives
The priory was the fiscal agent for a successful grant of about $50,000, awarded by Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities to Pure Water that included the installation of 148 biosand filters in homes in Trojes, Honduras.
Video looks at religion’s redemptive role on imprisoned gang members
In El Salvador, gang violence plagues communities, and filmmaker Danny Gold reports on how evangelical churches help gang members escape the violence by becoming born-again Christians.
New commission to review personnel files of Anchorage clergy, sisters
Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Anchorage has appointed an independent commission to review all personnel files of clerics and religious men and women who have served in the Archdiocese of Anchorage since its canonical establishment in 1966.
IRS rule change might hit donations for Catholic school tuition
A proposed rule would reduce donation deductibility on federal tax returns by 65 percent, impacting families at thousands of Catholic schools. Observers call it an unintended consequence of the 2017 tax law.
Make prelates mandatory reporters of abuse, letter urges
Saying the Catholic Church in the U.S. "is at a defining moment," a group from Villanova University said the bishops at their upcoming meeting could launch a new era by creating a lay-led commission that holds bishops accountable for transferring abusive priests.
Virginia bishops cooperating with state on probe into clergy abuse claims
In keeping with the U.S. bishops' "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," officials in the diocese report every allegation of sexual abuse of a minor to legal authorities, the bishops said.
Court hears arguments in suit aiming to take mandate exemption from nuns
The Little Sisters of the Poor were in federal court Oct. 19 defending themselves in a new lawsuit by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is attempting to strip the nuns of their religious exemption to the HHS mandate.