National News
School choice advocates in Florida celebrate new scholarship program
In response to an increased waiting list of one scholarship program, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will create another scholarship program that could benefit as many as 18,000 students in the 2019-2020 school year to attend private schools.
Missouri lawmakers ‘clearly on side of life’ with passage of abortion bill
The bill would criminalize any abortion beyond eight weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. Doctors who perform abortions after eight weeks face five to 15 years in prison. There is no punishment for the mother.
U.S. bishops ‘gravely disappointed’ with House passage of Equality Act
In an 236-173 vote, the House approved the measure, H.R. 5, which would add the new terms "sexual orientation" and "gender identity," as well as "pregnancy ... or a related medical condition," to the definition of "sex" in federal civil rights laws.
Washington’s archbishop plans to get ‘out in field’ to meet people, listen
Like "a Sunday supply priest," Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory wants to visit local parishes to say Mass and afterward stand at the back of church and greet people.
No more Sunday games for Detroit Catholic sports teams
To encourage Catholics in the Detroit Archdiocese to keep Sunday as a day of holiness, Archbishop Allen Vigneron is requiring Catholic parishes and schools to stop scheduling athletics on Sundays.
Immigration advocates express concerns about Trump immigration plan
Catholic immigration advocates raised concerns about a proposal from President Donald Trump that would reshape U.S. immigration policy to incorporate a "merit-based" system that prioritizes high-skilled workers over those with family already in the country.
Gomez: ‘Every abuse case one too many,’ but confession bill no solution
Saying that "confession is sacred to every priest and every Catholic," Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez is calling on Catholics to tell their state senators to vote "no" on a bill that "would order priests to disclose information they might hear in confession concerning the sexual abuse of minors."
Rhode Island pro-lifers hail abortion bill’s defeat in Senate committee
Hundreds of activists who gathered at the Statehouse erupted into cheers as news spread that the committee voted 5-4 against the measure, which supporters said would have enshrined Roe v. Wade into state law.
Calif. bishops hope program gives survivors chance to heal, seek redress
The Los Angeles Archdiocese and five other California dioceses May 14 announced a new private compensation program that will be available to any person who has been sexually abused as a minor by diocesan priests.
California ‘confession bill’ viewed as violation of religious liberty
A bill making its way through the California Legislature would make the state the first since 1999 to require priests to choose between violating the law or violating the seal of the confessional.