National News
Wounded warriors are HEROs combating ‘epidemic’ of child pornography
After losing both legs in Afghanistan, Justin Gaertner found a new mission as a "human exploitation rescue operative," or HERO, with the Department of Homeland Security, pursuing predators who collect and trade child pornography on the internet.
Theology, history, canon law may figure in lay role in addressing crisis
A panel of academics at a Feb. 6 conference on the clergy sex abuse crisis noted that the current crisis is not the first scandal to confront the church, and that the church has had trouble putting those scandals to rest.
Mother tells how daughter became victim of sex trafficking, lost her life
Yvonne Ambrose had one of the worst experiences any mother can suffer: Her daughter Desiree, age 16, was found in a garage on Christmas Eve 2016 murdered by a man who beat her, slashed her throat and left her to die, painfully alone, in the Chicago cold.
Prospects for arms race rise with demise of historic nuclear treaty
The Trump administration's decision to withdraw from one of the last major nuclear arms control treaties between the United States and Russia is leading to renewed fears among disarmament advocates of a resurgence in costly spending on the most dangerous weapons ever produced.
N.Y. cardinal: Closing seven ‘of our beloved schools’ a ‘painful’ decision
Two schools each in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx, and one each in the borough of Staten Island, Dutchess County and Sullivan County will be shuttered at the end of the 2018-19 academic year.
After abuse crisis, Holy Spirit planning new ‘season’ for the church
That's the hope of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the U.S. bishops' conference. He believes God is using the sexual abuse crisis to open the church to "a fuller understanding" of the church, with bishops delegating duties to lay people.
Advocacy centers help abuse victims tell their story, regain trust, heal
Over the last 30 years, the network of children's advocacy centers has emerged as one of the nation's most comprehensive responses to sexual violence against children.
Child sex abuse called ‘a serious and pervasive’ issue in U.S. society
Understanding the plague of sexual abuse in this country means going beyond the immediate headlines and understanding what experts are saying about this scourge. It also means looking not only at the Catholic Church but at all institutions and societal structures where abuse can take place.
Catholic college, university leaders focus on finances, job market
Participants at the annual meeting of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities had to know they were getting down to brass tacks with the theme of this year's gathering: "Mission, Myth, Money: Securing Catholic Higher Education for the Future."
Even with his team’s loss, Rams exec counts health, family, faith as wins
When Tony Pastoors was 5 days old in 1987, his mother kneeled in a hospital chapel to pray his life would be spared, after he was diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease, which attacks the colon. Now 31, Tony is vice president of football and business administration for the Los Angeles Rams football team.