National News
Church support for unions reviewed after deadlocked Supreme Court case
"Catholic social teaching does not take an express position on right to work laws. What a century of papal social encyclicals do expressly favor, however, is the growth and increase of unions and workers' associations," Clayton Sinyai said.
USCCB committee chairs urge lawmakers to back Conscience Protection Act
U.S. Rep. John Fleming, a Louisiana Republican who also is a physician, has introduced a measure to provide legal protection to doctors, nurses, hospitals and all health care providers who choose not to provide abortions as part of their health care practice.
Young people take faith to the streets, sharing God’s mercy
With joyous song, dance and prayer, 500 members of the Jornada movement spent hours walking, praying the rosary and bearing witness to their faith in the New York borough of Queens.
New rules ensure faith-based groups can vie for funding like other groups
A 304-page set of rules was issued in late March outlining the details for how nine Cabinet-level agencies -- the ones most likely to issue grant money -- are to treat funding requests from faith-based and other groups.
Project aims to provide education on church teaching on end-of-life care
As legislative proposals for doctor-prescribed suicide become more prevalent, the Catholic bishops of Iowa have organized a statewide effort to promote an awareness about end-of-life care that is aligned with Catholic teaching.
Catholic institutions support Clean Power Plan
Saying evidence of the human cause of climate change is "undeniable," 30 Catholic and faith-based institutions filed a legal brief urging federal limits on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Homily: ‘God was full of surprises when it came to Mother Angelica’
"Hers was a practical spirituality for the man in the pew," Father Wolfe said. I believe that deep down we all want holiness because it is the only thing that is really satisfies us."
Court’s unusual request on HHS mandate might avoid tie decision
The high court's request for details on contraceptive insurance coverage might mean the mandate for such coverage by objecting employers will be interpreted differently around the country, observers surmised.
No easy answers to pastoral questions on assisted suicides
What should a hospital chaplain do if confronted with a patient who expresses a determination to use assisted suicide? Can anointing of the sick be given to such a patient? How do pastors decide whether a person who carried out an assisted suicide should receive a Catholic funeral?
Abortion-related measures signed into law in Indiana, Utah
Indiana's new law bans abortions based on potential disabilities, gender and race, while Utah's law requires anesthesia for the fetus in a narrow range of abortions.