National News
Conference to look at Luther’s impact 500 years after Reformation
The issue of papal authority was the one point that led Martin Luther to break from the Catholic Church, according to a Catholic University of America professor who will speak at a symposium on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
Parish touts solar panels powered by the Son and sun
An Arizona parish installed a solar energy array as part of a plan to make Our Mother of Sorrows Church more efficient. It also offers an electric fueling station for hybrid cars, and is planning a parish garden.
Georgetown University, Jesuits apologize for roles in sale of slaves
More than 100 descendants attended a morning "Liturgy of Remembrance, Contrition and Hope" that the university created in partnership with descendants, the Archdiocese of Washington and the Society of Jesus in the United States.
Historic national meeting aims to unite American Catholics
This summer's Convocation of Catholic Leaders will draw 3,000 clergy, religious and laypeople seeking to respond to a changing social landscape while bringing Pope Francis' vision for a church that offers mercy and joy to the world.
At ‘mother of all vigils,’ U.S. church welcomes thousands of new Catholics
Catechumens receive the sacraments of initiation -- baptism, confirmation and first Communion -- during the Easter Vigil, having prepared for this moment through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
Catholic leaders praise rulings granting stays to Arkansas death-row inmates
UPDATED - A federal judge's April 15 ruling stopped the state from executing six of the inmates with a preliminary injunction handed down in response to a lawsuit filed by the inmates.
Panelists on both sides of abortion debate if pro-lifers can be feminists
Three speakers from each side of the abortion issue debated the topic for an hour and ultimately agreed on one thing: the need for both sides to build more coalitions to improve conditions for women, including better overall access to health care.
More states consider assisted suicide legislation
More states are considering assisted suicide legislation, although few seem to be making inroads in adding themselves to the five states and the District of Columbia where it is legal.
Bishop urges Arkansas governor to reconsider seven executions
The executions are scheduled April 17-27 and were announced months ago by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who said they had to be done in quick succession to use the state's final batch of the sedative midazolam before it expired at the end of April.
An empty tomb and a bodily resurrection: why it matters
Catholics and other Christians have grown up believing in the Resurrection, but the Apostles themselves were among the first who were skeptical that Jesus arose from the dead.