News
Pray for your priests, pope urges at Mass in Bangladesh
Ordaining 16 new priests in Bangladesh, Pope Francis kept to his practice of using the formal ritual homily for the occasion. But, as often happens, he also felt a need to speak more personally to the people before him.
Uncertainty in Congress envelopes children’s health care program
Congress failed to meet a Sept. 30 deadline to continue the federally funded and state-run Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. Several states were preparing in late November to notify families that the program would end unless the federal government recommits to funding it.
New info closely dates site believed to be tomb of Christ
Scientists who helped restore a shrine above the site believed to be the place where Christ was buried say testing of samples has dated the tomb to at least the fourth century, the time when the Emperor Constantine ordered it protected.
Spanish cardinal says church teaching rejects national independence
"In democratically constituted nations, there can be no moral legitimacy for unilateral secession," Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera of Valencia said in a Nov. 29 commentary for the Madrid-based La Razon daily.
Church calls for calm in Honduras as election results are delayed
Delays in counting the votes and announcing the official results more than four days after the election risked undermining confidence in the process and damaging democracy in a country with a recent history of coups and political crises.
Net neutrality on the FCC’s chopping block
After collecting millions of comments on a Federal Communications Commission proposal to scuttle the principle that all lawful websites shall be treated the same by internet service providers, the final plan will come up for a vote Dec. 14. It is expected to pass.
Vatican continues annual Christmas raffle for charity
Announcing the fifth annual raffle Nov. 30, the Vatican said tickets would be available for purchase online and in several areas accessible to the public, such as the Vatican Museums' bookshop and the Vatican post office or pharmacy.
Pope urges continued dialogue between Orthodox, Catholics
Pope Francis, in a message to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, urged Catholics and Orthodox to continue the path of dialogue on key theological issues to achieve full communion between the two churches.
SNAP apologizes to St. Louis Archdiocese, priests over false abuse claims
The Nov. 27 apology was issued as part of a settlement with SNAP in a defamation lawsuit filed by Father Jiang in 2015, according to the archdiocese.
2,400 faith leaders ask Senate to nix tax cut bill
Religious leaders, including hundreds of Catholics, called the bill "fiscally irresponsible" and said it "endangers our country's economic health." Their letter added that the bill "disproportionately benefits the wealthy at the expense of vulnerable people and low-income families."