National News
New norms address exposition of Eucharist, benediction
The U.S. bishops Nov. 17 approved a fresh version of ritual texts dealing with the distribution and reception of Communion outside Mass. They were last issued in 1976, with little direction for benediction.
With vote, sainthood causes for three U.S. laypeople advance
Three Americans who lived in the 20th century, including a young girl, received approval for their process toward sainthood by the U.S. bishops. Their diverse lives read as portraits of holiness and devotion.
Review of charter for protecting youth to start 3 years early
An update on the U.S. bishops' "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" will not wait until 2025 as planned, to include recent norms on penalties for bishops mishandling sexual abuse cases.
Bishops OK updated RCIA norms, now called OCIA
In their fall meeting the bishops approved revised English and Spanish editions of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, and addressed the situation of baptized Christians entering the Catholic Church in the U.S.
In-person meeting finds bishops more reflective on meaning of Eucharist
Coming together for the first time in two years and following extensive collaboration for five months, the bishops shared prayer ahead of the Nov. 17 vote on the document on the Eucharist.
‘Enough is enough’ rally challenges U.S. bishops to ‘see the light’
As more than 200 U.S. bishops met at a hotel Nov. 16 in Baltimore, for the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, a series of speakers castigated them from across the street at a waterfront pavilion.
U.S. bishops focus on Communion, synodality, finances in fall meeting
The U.S. bishops discussed the highly anticipated statement on the Eucharist without the heated discussion it stirred up in their previous meeting. Protesters gathered outside the Baltimore hotel where the public sessions were taking place.
Papal ambassador urges U.S. bishops to listen closely to the church
Synodality "is an answer to the challenges of our time and to the confrontation, which is threatening to divide this country, and which also has its echoes in the church," said Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S.
Don’t make Eucharist statement partisan, urges advisory council’s chair
The U.S. bishops' proposed statement on the Eucharist "cannot be partisan," nor should it be made such "through calculated expression or calculated suppression of our doctrine and belief," said the lay head of the bishops' National Advisory Council.
Sex abuse survivors urge bishops to denounce Church Militant’s agenda
The survivors demanded that the bishops spend more time on sex abuse and less on reception of Communion, and denounce a right-wing group rallying nearby that claims homosexuality is linked to pedophilia, causing the abuse scandal.