News
Private firms can’t be forced to cover contraceptives, high court rules
UPDATED -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday, June 30 that privately-held, for-profit companies “cannot be required to provide contraceptive coverage” under the Patient Affordable Care Act, the court said in its majority 5-4 opinion. The ruling may have an effect on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's bid to seek relief from regulations known as the HHS mandate.
Pope, giving archbishops palliums, says stay focused on following Jesus
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After placing woolen bands, called palliums, over the shoulders of 24 archbishops from around the world, Pope Francis urged them to trust in God and not seek refuge in power or prestige. “Trust in God banishes all fear and sets us free from every form of slavery and all worldly temptations,” […]
U.S. bishops backed Civil Rights Act, urged people to make it work
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic leaders supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and also urged Catholics to get behind the law to make it work, according to the yellowed pages of typewritten articles in the Catholic News Service's archive folders.
Reflections on Civil Rights Act: Progress made, work still to do
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Fifty years ago, when the Civil Rights Act was signed into law July 2 by President Lyndon Johnson, two Louisiana-born men did not feel the earth move, but they knew it was the beginning of a time of change.
Casa del Carmen helps employers find workers in North Philadelphia
More than 300 job seekers came to an outdoor career fair hosted by Casa del Carmen, a Catholic Social Services agency, located in a highly diverse, multicultural neighborhood of North Philadelphia.
Court denies archdiocese’s request for relief from HHS mandate
UPDATE -- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia lost its bid to block regulations of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) June 26, but a new ruling will prevent the church from paying fines of $160,000 a day for noncompliance.
Mass attendance slide not as bad as it seems
The annual October Count census of Mass-goers in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia shows bad news – Mass attendance is down again – and good news: the decline of less than 2 percent is much lower than previous years.
Ill again, pope cancels visit to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, university
ROME (CNS) -- At the exact moment Pope Francis was scheduled to leave the Vatican to travel to Rome's Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and its Gemelli Hospital, patients and staff were told the pope had to postpone his visit because he was not feeling well.
Massachusetts pro-life sidewalk counselors applaud court’s decision
WORCESTER, Mass. (CNS) -- When the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled June 26 that the buffer zones around abortion clinics in Massachusetts violated First Amendment rights, pro-life advocates outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Worcester were doing what they always do -- praying on the sidewalk.
A Philly guy through and through, this judge keeps Catholic principles at his core
Federal Judge Jerry McHugh never moved from his childhood neighborhood in St. Francis de Sales Parish, West Philadelphia. He also has never wavered from his conviction to help ex-cons and the poor.