National News
Catholic Charities agencies flooded with calls for storm relief
With several Northeast states now joining metropolitan regions in the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Ida-related disaster areas, Catholic Charities agencies are using digital workaround solutions to maximize their outreach.
Former Cardinal McCarrick pleads not guilty to sex abuse
The 91-year-old defrocked and disgraced prelate heard shouts of protesters as he headed into court to face charges he sexually assaulted a teenager in the 1970s, even as new lawsuits have been filed against him.
U.S. bishops’ Labor Day statement calls for economy that works for all
Even amid signs of recovery despite the continuing pandemic, the "present ills of our economy" invite Catholics to propose creative responses to vital human needs in a post-pandemic world, said a key bishop.
Whatever it’s called, does conflict meet just-war criteria?
The U.S. last declared war nearly 80 years ago in World War II. Afterward, there were several wars fought that weren't declared as such. Catholic thinkers see Catholic principles as guiderails for future conflicts.
Use papal teaching to develop ‘ecological conscience,’ bishops advise
In a message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, two U.S. bishops echoed Pope Francis' invitation to discernment in response to growing environmental challenges that affect human life. Meeting those challenges requires "a well-formed reason" and faith.
Supreme Court rules against blocking Texas’ 6-week abortion ban
The 5-4 vote by the high court left open the possibility that the state's law could be challenged in other ways, including in Texas state courts. It is one of the strictest abortion laws in the U.S., banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detectable.
No ‘semblance of truth’ found in abuse claims against Brooklyn bishop
The Vatican has determined that allegations of sexual abuse of a minor against Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn were found not to be credible. The Archdiocese of New York had begun an investigation under norms issued by Pope Francis in 2019 to address such allegations against bishops.
Dioceses emerge from Hurricane Ida’s wrath as church rises to help
Catholic Charities in areas of Louisiana and Mississippi affected by Hurricane Ida -- one of the most powerful storms in the U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 -- are collecting donations to deal with "catastrophic" damage and lack of power to 2 million homes.
New Orleans Archdiocese assesses damage from Hurricane Ida
With most of South Louisiana cut off from electrical power due to the 150-mph winds of Hurricane Ida, the Archdiocese of New Orleans announced Aug. 30 that all schools, along with its main administrative offices, would remain closed.
Pro-life chairman, other bishops urge Catholics to receive vaccine
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann pointed to the "sound moral analysis by the church supporting the permissibility of receiving the vaccines as well as the public health crisis evidenced by the many COVID deaths" as his reasons for being vaccinated.