National News
God-given sexual identity has inherent beauty, dignity, say faith leaders
In an open letter Dec. 15, a group of 20 Catholic bishops and other religious leaders described as "deeply troubling" the movement today "to enforce the false idea -- that a man can be or become a woman or vice versa."
Stories, tears flow freely for descendants of slaves Jesuits owned, sold
Descendants of the 272 enslaved men, women and children sold as a group in 1838 to a Louisiana plantation by the Jesuits who ran Georgetown University in Washington described what it was like upon learning their hidden and bitter family story.
In #MeToo movement Catholic Church can play role in discussion, healing
he wave of accusations of sexual harassment, misconduct and assault from Hollywood to Capitol Hill and many places in between in recent months has been described as a revolution, a moment and a time for national reckoning.
Year in review: Counties seen as key to ongoing death penalty struggle
It's county prosecutors, most of them elected by voters, who decide whether to pursue a death sentence for murders and other crimes, said Robert Dunham, the center's executive director.
Archbishop Gomez sees signs of God’s presence even in fiery destruction
As wildfires raged near Los Angeles, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez called on those who have lost their homes and those offering assistance and fighting the flames to remember that God is accompanying them in their sorrow and acts of sacrifice.
Natural disasters prompt church to raise millions for aid, recovery
In Puerto Rico, Texas, Florida, California and Mexico City, deep pain remained from a string of hurricanes, wildfires and earthquakes causing widespread destruction. Catholic agencies responded with aid to help people from all walks of life.
‘Let tree stand,’ but don’t forget to prepare for Christ, cardinal says
Christmas should be regarded as a celebration of the redemption of God's people, Cardinal Peter Turkson told a Catholic audience Dec. 9 in Louisville.
After terrorism attempt, Trump calls for end to immigration programs
While many Catholics took to social media asking for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the life of migrants who have come to the U.S. seeking a better life, President Donald Trump called, on Dec. 12, her feast day, for an end to two immigration programs.
Friars in historic California mission briefly evacuate after fire fears
A group of 27 friars from Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California, voluntarily evacuated late Dec. 7 as winds kicked up during a wildfire in their area that burned through 4,000 acres, destroying 157 structures and damaging 64 others.
Bishop Luong dies; he was ‘a blessing’ to Vietnamese Catholics in U.S.
Bishop Dominic M. Luong, the first U.S. Catholic bishop of Vietnamese descent and the founding father of the Vietnamese Catholic community in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, died Dec. 6 in Orange, California. He was 76.