National News
‘Great misunderstanding’ seen on church’s teachings on end of life
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- There is "great misunderstanding" among Catholics and others about the church's teachings on whether and when life-sustaining medical treatment can be withdrawn when death is near, according to a leading Catholic bioethicist.
Brain-dead patients prompt new questions about end-of-life decisions
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- Recent conflicts in California and Texas between physicians and the families of patients considered to be brain dead have prompted new questions about end-of-life decision-making.
Nine days of prayer part of Roe v. Wade anniversary events for 2014
UPDATED -- WASHINGTON (CNS) -- For the second year in a row, the U.S. Catholic bishops are sponsoring "Nine Days for Life: Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage," planned for Jan. 18-26 this year to mark the 41st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion virtually on demand in the U.S.
U.S. military archbishop makes pastoral visit to Guantanamo base
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (CNS) -- Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services visited the naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of a five-day pastoral visit.
Supreme Court won’t hear case of Arizona’s late-term abortion ban
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Arizona's law banning abortions at the 20-week stage remains unenforceable, after the Supreme Court Jan. 13 declined to hear the state's appeal of a lower court ruling that the 2012 law is unconstitutional.
Ongoing global humanitarian crises bring suffering, challenges
Civil-war wracked Syria tops a list of crisis hot spots in the world, including in Africa, that aid workers are watching. All people should be vigilant about emailing and using social media to keep attention on troubled areas, said an expert.
Institute’s goal to help Catholics ‘reclaim sense of sacred’ in liturgy
GREENBRAE, Calif. (CNS) -- Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco has created a new liturgical institute to offer a deeper sense of formation to lay ministers such as lectors, music directors, extraordinary ministers of holy Communion and those who bring Communion to the sick.
50 years after declaring ‘War on Poverty,’ a renewed campaign
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When President Lyndon Johnson declared a "war on poverty" in his 1964 State of the Union address, few then expected just what it would take to wipe out domestic poverty.
Investment analyst downgrades stocks over moral, ethical concerns
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- It's not exactly the man-bites-dog story, but rather a man-bites-hand-that-feeds-him story.
Chicago Archdiocese to release documents on past child sex abuse cases
CHICAGO (CNS) -- Chicago Cardinal Francis E. George, in a letter to be published Jan. 12 in parish bulletins, said "any abuse of a young person is heartbreaking" and such cases have put "a heavy burden on all of us in the church."