News

Study puts dollar value of organized religion in the U.S. at $1.2 trillion

Brian Grim, of the Religious Liberty Project at Georgetown University, unveiled on Sept. 14 findings of a study which analyzed the economic impact of 344,000 religious congregations around the country.

Catholics urged to reject partisan views on migration, heed Gospel message

Instead, Catholics must focus "on the moral teachings of the church that will help us build a vibrant public square," said Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle.

Catholics, Orthodox meet to discuss synodality, papal primacy

Leading Catholic and Orthodox bishops were meeting in Italy to continue discussions on the key issue keeping their churches apart: the role of the bishop of Rome, the pope.

Pastors who become princes are far from Jesus’ spirit, pope says

At his weekly audience, Pope Francis reflected on Jesus' tenderness toward the poor, the suffering and the oppressed, saying it is "awful for the church" when pastors become "far from the poorest people."

Church’s process for choosing bishops again under scrutiny

Pope Francis and his international board of cardinals advising him on church governance further studied the bishop-making process and continued their office-by-office look at the Roman Curia in view of a planned reform.

Archbishop cites ‘shocking bigotry’ of U.S. civil rights commission

Baltimore Archbishop William Lori sharply criticized the head of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for asserting religious freedom and liberty were "code words" used to discriminate. Other members of the group dissented from its report.

New report shows U.S. Catholics have negative views of Islam

In grappling with the issue of Islamophobia, a Georgetown University report shows how Catholics' perceptions of Islam -- 3 in 10 have unfavorable views of Muslims -- may have been influenced by Catholic news outlets.

Notre Dame event with Ginsburg focuses on her life, not court decisions

In a visit to the University of Notre Dame Sept. 12, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg steered away from abortion, same-sex marriage and other major issues and instead focused on her hope to find common ground.

Report says legalizing marijuana would be windfall for cannabis industry

Cannabis investors can expect 18.5 percent sales growth a year in California if Proposition 64 passes, according to "The State of Legal Marijuana Markets," published by New Frontier Data and ArcView Group.

Murdered French priest joins procession of martyrs, pope says

Pope Francis called the assassination Father Jacques Hamel in July by Islamic State militants a "satanic line of persecution." Without condemning his attackers, Father Hamel named his real murderer, the pope said. "He clearly said, 'Be gone, Satan.'"