National News
Catholic Charities USA funds help Georgia diocese aid hurricane victims
Assistance is on the way for residents of the Diocese of Savannah still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Michael, thanks to a financial gift of $250,000 from Catholic Charities USA.
Pope removes bishop from governance of Memphis Diocese
UPDATED - Pope Francis has removed Bishop Martin Holley, who led the diocese since 2016. He came under heavy criticism from clergy and parishioners for his decision to reassign two-thirds of the diocese's 60 active priests.
Catholic agency hopes to reach 70,000 needy children with ‘Box of Joy’
When an individual, a family, a group or a church wants to pack a small box of Christmas joy for a needy child, "we tell them 'welcome to the world of joy,' because everyone who gives joy receives joy in return," said the president of Cross Catholic Outreach in Boca Raton.
District of Columbia AG latest to join probes of clergy sex abuse
In an Oct. 23 tweet, Attorney General Karl A. Racine said his office is "investigating whether the Archdiocese of Washington covered up allegations of sexual abuse of minors."
Catholic officials say Hurricane Michael sets new bar for disaster relief
Two weeks after the storm came ashore, Michael's death toll has risen to 29 in Florida alone and a total of 39 across the Southern United States. Much of the impacted region remains without power and clean water.
Bishops to start 2019 with spiritual retreat
The retreat was planned in response to Pope Francis' request to a delegation of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops leaders during a meeting at the Vatican Sept. 13. The meeting with the pope focused on the U.S. bishops' response to the widening clergy sex abuse crisis.
Catholics have divine imperative to stand with all migrants, says priest
God crossed the border from divinity to humanity, sparking a divine imperative that we stand in solidarity with those migrating in the world, a theologian said in a couple of talks he delivered in Portland.
Washington bishops support ballot initiative on gun violence prevention
The support came in an Oct. 18 statement in which the bishops said they felt their endorsement "will help ensure a higher level of public safety while balancing constitutional rights around gun ownership."
District of Columbia announces hotline to report sex abuse by clergy
"Survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy who wish to share their experiences and/or those who have knowledge of such abuse are encouraged to report these incidents to the U.S. Attorney's Office for potential criminal investigation and prosecution," said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Neutral stand on assisted suicide by physicians group called ‘startling’
The head of the Catholic Medical Association, based in Philadelphia, said the American Academy of Family Physicians' new "engaged neutrality" position on physician-assisted suicide is "diametrically opposed" to the medical community's long-standing opposition to it.