National News
Peter Claver leader elected to post in international organization
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- The supreme knight of the Knights of Peter Claver has been elected to an international post in an umbrella group for men's Catholic fraternal organizations. Fredron DeKarlos Blackmon, who also serves as CEO of the Knights, was elected deputy president of the International Alliance of Catholic Knights, which includes 15 fraternal organizations working in 27 countries.
Memorial Mass honors ‘countless sacrifices’ made by those in military
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- "We give thanks for countless sacrifices and we pray for the families who still suffer the ravages of war. Those scars do not fade easily," said Archbishop Timothy M. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, at a May 19 memorial Mass honoring the nation's war dead and those "wounded warriors" injured in the line of duty.
Cardinal urges young adults to deepen their Catholic faith, share it
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Since participating in the March conclave that elected Pope Francis, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington has spoken about the experience to reporters and during Masses at local parishes. But his recent Theology on Tap talk to a standing-room crowd of between 300 and 400 Catholic young adults marked the first talk […]
Catholic organizations rally aid for victims of deadly tornadoes
UPDATED --OKLAHOMA CITY (CNS) -- Even after the initial death toll was cut by more than half, the human and material devastation of a string of tornadoes that buffeted areas of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City May 19-20 was incalculable. "Our first concern is for the victims who have lost their lives or loved ones and suffered injury or loss of property," said a May 21 statement by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City. The revised number of those confirmed dead stood at 24, including at least seven children, as of midday May 21, down from the original estimate of 51.
Indiana Catholic family’s business challenges HHS mandate
MADISON, Ind. (CNS) -- Although Grote Industries in Madison has been in business for more than a century, one date in May holds particular significance to the family-owned, worldwide manufacturer of vehicle lighting products. On May 22, a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago was scheduled to hear arguments in the lawsuit the Grote family filed last October to gain relief from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that forces most employers to provide abortion-inducing drugs, sterilizations and contraceptives to their employees in company health plans.
Ripple effect continues five years after immigration raid on Iowa plant
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (CNS) -- Carrying red flowers representing the 389 workers arrested during a 2008 raid, hundreds of people participated in a Walk for Justice and interfaith prayer service to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the immigration raid on the Agriprocessors Plant in Postville. The event continues to have an impact far beyond the small town in a rural corner of the Dubuque Archdiocese. During the opening blessing to a prayer service May 10, recently retired Dubuque Archbishop Jerome G. Hanus of Dubuque, who visited Postville shortly after the raid in 2008, alluded to how the event tore apart families and devastated the community of about 2,000 residents.
Cardinal Dolan cites Gosnell’s atrocities in opposing proposed N.Y. abortion law
ALBANY, N.Y. (CNS) -- If New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushes to have "a right to an abortion" codified in state law, he will face "vociferous" and "rigorous" opposition from Catholic and other pro-lifers, said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York. But the cardinal hopes it doesn't come to that because Cuomo, he said, has told him "he wants to work hard on alternatives to abortion," such as expanding adoption, having "greater latitude" in maternity leave and better assisting pregnant women in need and those with small children.
Diocese of Joliet, Ill., sued for alleged sexual abuse by priests
JOLIET, Ill. (CNS) -- Five lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Joliet May 15 alleging sexual abuse of minors by four priests and a lay teacher during the 1970s and 1980s. A Chicago law firm filed the lawsuits on behalf of victims who said they were between the ages of 8 and 16 at the time.
FCC to try rewriting broadcast indecency standards; will it succeed?
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- After running afoul of the courts yet again, the Federal Communications Commission is taking another stab at rewriting its regulations on indecent content on over-the-air television and radio. Whether the regulations need to be rewritten, though, is another matter entirely.
Father Pavone: ‘Truth of abortion’ exposed in trial will bring end to abortion
MADISON, Wis. (CNS) — Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, predicted “the end of abortion in our lifetime” in a recent talk he gave in Madison sponsored by Wisconsin Right to Life. The trial of abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell in Philadelphia exposed the grisly truths about the abortion industry, the priest said. […]