National News
U.S. aid helps Ecuadoran church begin rebuilding after earthquake
Grants totaling nearly $390,000 from the U.S. bishops' Office for the Church in Latin America will enable two Ecuadoran dioceses to reconstruct facilities damaged or destroyed in an April earthquake.
Supreme Court tie vote blocks temporary plan to stop deportations
The court's 4-4 vote leaves in place a lower court injunction blocking the administration's immigration policy with the one-page opinion stating: "The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided court."
HHS says California can require that all health plans cover elective abortions
A federal agency has determined that California can continue to demand that all health plans under the jurisdiction of the state's Department of Managed Health Care -- "even those purchased by churches and other religious organizations" -- cover elective abortions for any reason.
Chicago parishes, schools pray for summer of peace, end of gun violence
Over 100 children and young people under 20 have died as a result of gun violence in Chicago since June 2015.
Saints’ relics seen as reminder of today’s threats to religious liberty
Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori linked urgent matters of "immigration, marriage and the church's teaching on sexuality" to a pair of 16th-century martyrs.
Chicago archdiocesan outreach to gay community remembers Orlando victims
The Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach began in 1988 as a way to extend the church's pastoral outreach to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics throughout the archdiocese.
Security, criminal justice experts seek lessons after Florida shooting
As in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, the shooting presents a potential minefield of conflicting impulses and responses.
Relic tour for fortnight highlights saints’ courage, religious liberty
A nationwide tour of relics of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, two 16th-century martyrs who exemplified courage and conviction in the face of persecution, is part of the U.S. Catholic Church's Fortnight for Freedom observance this year.
With record-high temps in Southwest, volunteers help keep the vulnerable safe
The St. Vincent de Paul Society in Phoenix, which has hit 115 degrees, has opened its dining centers for heat relief and emergency shelter. People without proper home cooling can rest, snacks and cold water.
‘State of Women’ panel proposes solutions to sex, labor trafficking
"Trafficking does not know any gender, any sexual orientation, any socioeconomic class, or any race."