News
Same-sex marriages in Virginia put on hold; Florida ban overturned
The Supreme Court put same-sex marriages in Virginia on hold Aug. 20, one day before the ban was scheduled to be lifted. The next day a federal judge in Florida struck down a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in that state.
New HHS rules for opting out of mandate miss the point, USCCB says
The Obama administration announced new rules Aug. 22 allowing religious nonprofits and some companies to opt out of coverage they oppose on moral grounds, such as contraception. Certain employers would need to notify the government of their opposition, and their employees would still receive the coverage. Meanwhile the Diocese of Greensburg in Pennsylvania won a permanent injunction against enforcement of the HHS mandate.
Taney Dragons lose a game, but everybody wins
A member of the Little League World Series team that stole the hearts of Philadelphia and the nation is a parishioner and student of St. Francis de Sales in West Philadelphia, where the community was moved by a special group of kids.
Archbishop Coakley drops lawsuit after stolen consecrated host returned
A stolen consecrated host that was at the center of a lawsuit filed by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley and intended for use at a planned Satanic "black mass" in Oklahoma City has been returned.
Philadelphia priest visits North Korea as silent ‘apostle of peace’
Pope Francis thanked an 81-year-old Maryknoll priest from West Philadelphia for his 51 trips to the country where religion is prohibited and few outsiders are permitted. Father Gerard Hammond brings medicines and wordless witness in an "apostolate of presence."
Pope phones family of slain U.S. journalist
Pope Francis called relatives of the late James Foley in a "long and intense" conversation Aug. 21 to console them for their loss and assure them of his prayers. Foley was killed by Islamic State militants in Syria.
Ebola, war or disaster: how, when global service groups decide to flee
When the Peace Corps announced in late July that it was evacuating its 340 volunteers from the three West African countries most affected by the Ebola virus, the action was far from a panic-driven decision, but instead followed a protocol.
As battles rage, Catholics in Ukraine request Independence Day prayers
As Ukrainians prepared to mark their Aug. 24 Independence Day under the cloud of fierce fighting in the East, Catholic leaders condemned the threat to Ukraine's territorial integrity and prayed for a speedy end to the hostilities.
Judge OKs ban on doctors prescribing abortion drugs via video system
An Iowa judge Aug. 19 upheld a state medical board's ban on a first-in-the-nation videoconferencing system that allows physicians in different locations to dispense abortion-inducing drugs to women in rural clinics.
Holy Cross School grads invited to gala
The Catholic school in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia will host its homecoming event Saturday, Sept. 13 beginning with Mass and followed by dinner and special events, all to benefit the school's scholarship fund.