News
Why the church law forbids violating the seal of confession
The seal of confession is so important and sacred that a priest would be automatically excommunicated under canon law for directly revealing the contents of a confession.
Bishops from Argentina join Spain and Peru in voicing support for pope
Bishops from three countries issued letters supporting Pope Francis following fallout from allegations made by a former apostolic nuncio to the U.S., claiming that the pope and others knew about abuse allegations involving Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick.
Catholic nuns in the forefront of relief work for flooded Kerala
More than 6,700 Catholic women religious are among those helping more than 1 million people taking shelter in relief camps after unprecedented floods ravaged Kerala state in southwest India.
Cardinal Wuerl’s letter to priests expresses ‘anguish’ for suffering
In an Aug. 30 letter to priests in the archdiocese, Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl asked for "forgiveness for my errors in judgment (and) for my inadequacies."
Clergy lead prayers for healing from abuse scandal in Illinois, N.J.
Scheduled to respond to a Pennsylvania grand jury report that hundreds of priests were accused of the sexual abuse of children and seminarians, the prayer service drew people from throughout the diocese for exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, prayer, song and reflection.
San Juan Archdiocese files for bankruptcy over teacher pensions
Civil officials on the island territory embargoed $4.7 million from various archdiocesan accounts after retired teachers from the archdiocese's school filed a lawsuit seeking their pensions.
Bishop echoes pope: The poor’s plight is ‘the Gospel, pure and simple’
Bishop Frank J. Dewane said the recent economic news may not "give an entirely accurate account of the daily lives and struggles of working people, those who are still without work, or the underemployed struggling with low wages."
Former seminary professor recalls papal security for St. John Paul’s visit
Father Frederick Riegler, professor at St. Charles Seminary in 1979, speaks of his experiences as a Secret Service liaison in the talk "Protecting the Pope" Oct. 23 at St. Philip Neri Parish, Pennsburg.
After 50 years, draft board protesters insist what they did was right
Fifty years ago in an act of civil disobedience, Bob Graf and 13 of his friends broke into nine neighboring draft boards, grabbed thousands of 1-A records of men about to be called up, doused them in homemade napalm in a nearby park and set them afire.
Lebanon’s religious leaders call for ‘dignified’ return of refugees
"We appeal to the international community to shoulder its responsibility and strive to put an end to the ongoing conflicts and wars and to ensure the dignified return of the Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians, Iraqis and others to their country."