National News

‘Be Not Afraid’ is theme for Respect Life Sunday and 2017-18 program

Respect Life Month is observed every October by the church in the United States, beginning with Respect Life Sunday, which takes place this year Oct. 1. These events kick off the 2017-18 Respect Life Program.

Show all the warts of Christ’s church, Cardinal Dolan tells priests

Humbly and openly sharing the shortcomings of the church might bring those who are alienated back to the practice of the faith, Cardinal Timothy Dolan told 400 priests in Louisiana.

Blessed Rother a ‘torch of hope’ for church and world, says cardinal

Oklahoma native priest Father Stanley Rother, martyred in Guatemala in 1981, was beatified in his home archdiocese Sept. 23. He was remembered by family and faithful who grew up with him.

Hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico is ‘apocalyptic,’ priest says

The aftermath of back-to-back hurricanes has left a pile of emotions as high as the debris: sadness, desperation from lack of communication and loss of power for perhaps six months, and more intense suffering among those already poor.

After repeated pinnings, Senate goes to the mat again on ACA repeal

The latest bill is one co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. It would repeal the ACA and replace it with block grants for the states to spend as they see fit. The block grants' size, though, would shrink over time and disappear altogether in 2027.

Bishop calls on U.S. to provide aid, act to resolve Rohingya crisis

The number of Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh from persecution in Myanmar has slowed but could still be as high as half a million, even as reports suggest Muslim villages in northern Rakhine were burning as late as Sept. 21.

Bishop Braxton calls action to end racism imperative for every American

From taking a public stance at a rally to reaching out to a neighbor, racism can be addressed and overturned, the bishop said during a presentation at a Sept. 21 "teach-in" on fighting racism sponsored by the university's National Catholic School of Social Service.

Church-based charities provide earthquake relief in Mexico

In the aftermath of two earthquakes in the span of two weeks in Mexico church-based relief agencies have been on the ground providing food, shelter and repairs.

Bishops: Amend repeal bill to protect poor, keep ban on abortion coverage

"As you consider the Graham-Cassidy legislation as a possible replacement for the Affordable Care Act, we urge you to think of the harm that will be caused to poor and vulnerable people and amend the legislation while retaining its positive features," the bishops said in a letter to all senators.

With prayer, Catholics in Puerto Rico deal with Hurricane Maria’s wrath

UPDATED - Authorities say it may take months for electricity to fully return to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria pummeled the island and its infrastructure as it made landfall Sept. 20.