National News
First-person accounts illustrate CARA report on what inspires vocations
Respondents cited top factors in a vocation were getting to know a religious personally and the prayerful faith of family, while among the lowest were parish events to promote vocations.
New COVID-19 vaccine can be used in good conscience, bishop says
"There's no moral need to turn down a vaccine, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is morally acceptable to use," the head of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Doctrine said in a video.
Catholic health care officials aim to get COVID-19 vaccine to everyone
Health leaders are trying to reduce the hurdles of bias, language, technology and transportation highlighted by COVID now, so when the larger vaccine rollout begins, "we can have a strategy for addressing the disparities we know are coming."
Ahead of papal trip, prelates urge solidarity with pope and Iraq
Pope Francis' upcoming visit to Iraq offers Americans a time for prayer and to "remember the suffering people of Iraq," said two key U.S. bishops.
Regimen of prayer, asceticism, fraternity gets men’s attention
Who would volunteer for three months of cold showers, no alcohol, soda, dessert or televised sports? Tens of thousands of men, it turns out. Exodus 90 aims to bring men back to the foundations of their faith.
Bishops address concern over Johnson & Johnson vaccine’s abortion link
The U.S. bishops raised moral concerns over the vaccine using abortion-derived cell lines but said that "all clinically recommended vaccinations can be used with a clear conscience."
U.S. Chaldean Catholics hope pope’s Iraq trip brings peace
The 1,200 Chaldean Catholic families who live in Arizona, among about 500,000 in the U.S., will turn their hearts to the land of their birth when Pope Francis visits Iraq on March 5.
U.S. bishops’ working group on Biden completes work
The group formed to deal with conflicts that could arise between the policies of President Joe Biden, a Catholic, and church teaching will write one letter to the president and one to Catholics on "eucharistic coherence."
COVID-19 bill OK’d without bar to funding of abortion
Nonprofits including Catholic Charities USA praised the American Rescue Plan passed by the U.S. House at 2 a.m. Feb. 27, which failed to include Hyde Amendment language prohibiting taxpayer funding for abortion.
At age 102, California deacon’s motto remains ‘never retire’
The San Diego engineer "retired" in 1983 and ministered actively as a deacon for 30 years -- starting a nonprofit that built 1,000 homes for poor families in Tijuana -- before "retiring" five years ago.