National News
Women religious organization issues statement on abuse of sisters
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious thanked Pope Francis Feb. 7 for acknowledging abuse of nuns and sisters by priests and bishops.
Supreme Court blocks Louisiana law that would restrict abortion providers
In the court's 5-4 vote, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with four justices in favor of blocking this regulation for now.
Vermont bishop says abortion bill ‘goes too far’ by allowing infanticide
Bishop Christopher J. Coyne said the proposal, H. 57, "goes far beyond Roe v. Wade," the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, by "guaranteeing unrestricted abortion through all nine months of pregnancy."
U.S. Catholic officials welcome Catholic-Muslim document signed by pope
Pope Francis and Sheik el-Tayeb, a leading religious authority for many Sunni Muslims around the world, signed "A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together" Feb. 4 in Abu Dhabi.
CLINIC, partners want end to ‘remain in Mexico’ policy for asylum-seekers
The Catholic Legal Immigration Network and the Dilley Pro Bono Project said in a Feb. 6 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen that the Migrant Protection Protocols developed by the federal agency infringes on the due process rights and well-being of migrants.
Vigilance by parents and their children called key to safe internet use
The best way to protect your children is to actually engage with them in accessing things online: offer to play the games they like, ask them to show you what platforms they use, discuss being respectful online and never responding to sexual questions or requests for pictures.
Internet, online porn seen as enabling sexual exploitation of children
In a recent report on the role of technology in sex trafficking based on interviews with 260 survivors, Vanessa Bouche, a political science professor at Texas Christian University, found the internet facilitated prostitution, through online ads, in 75 percent of the cases.
Judge allows survey of church property for border wall construction
A U.S. District Court judge in Texas ruled Feb. 6 that the Diocese of Brownsville must let the Trump administration survey land around a historic Catholic chapel in anticipation of building the proposed border wall.
Trump defends rights of faith-based adoption agencies at prayer breakfast
Trump alluded to an American Civil Liberties Union federal lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services that challenges a state law that protects child-placing agencies that deny adoption services because of a conflict with the agency's religious beliefs.
Archbishop Gomez calls for ‘new humanism’ amid troubled times
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke during the "Hispanic Innovators of the Faith" lecture Feb. 6, 2019, at The Catholic University of America in Washington.