National News
Utah bishop decries governor’s decision to sign firing squad measure
By reinstating the use of a firing squad as a method of execution in Utah, "it seems as if our government leaders have substituted state legislation for the law of God," said the state's Catholic bishop.
President, first lady to welcome Pope Francis to White House Sept. 23
In their first encounter last year at the Vatican, Pope Francis and the president discussed areas of tension including religious freedom and medical ethics.
Mother, daughter killed in crash recalled for devotion to faith, family
Yvonne Selke and her daughter, Emily, were two of the three Americans killed in the March 24 crash of an Airbus jet March 24. The identity of the third American has not yet been released.
Honoree calls religious liberty ‘most fundamental freedom in society’
Religious liberty is "the most fundamental freedom in society" and it is at "the very core of the human condition," attorney and scholar Joseph Weiler told an audience at The Catholic University of America in Washington.
Archbishop: ‘Use energy’ of Selma anniversary to heal today’s divisions
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, in a statement at the end of Mass, urged those in the congregation to "use the energy of this anniversary to finish the work of healing divisions that remain and ending the cycles of violence that grip too many of our communities."
Three months after amputation, Trenton bishop to say Palm Sunday Mass
It was just over two weeks following surgery to amputate his lower left leg when Trenton Bishop David M. O'Connell publicly declared his rehabilitation goal.
Spirituals, dance moves a testament to joy of new auxiliary bishop
Let the record show that never before in the nearly 300-year history of St. Louis Cathedral have Catholics seen a dancing bishop.
‘Broader lens’ urged for conscience rights issue than marriage debate
The issue of conscience rights should be examined "with a much broader lens" than just the marriage debate, said a speaker at a panel discussion regarding religious liberty legislation in light of same-sex marriage.
St. John Paul’s faith in young people ‘beautiful,’ says college student
The moment before he helped carry a small vial of St. John Paul II's blood, Justin Waldron, 22, gently touched the relic in a moment of silent prayer.
South Carolina considers pain-capable abortion bill to protect unborn
The measure -- which passed the South Carolina House with a vote of 80-27 and has exceptions to protect the life and health of the mother -- would require that any physician in the state to determine the gestational age of the unborn child post-conception and prohibit any abortion if the determined age was older than 19 weeks. The current ban on abortion in South Carolina is 24 weeks after conception, unless the mother's life is in danger.