News
New California laws mean big jump in number of abortions, says bishop
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CNS) -- New California laws allowing non-physicians to perform abortions and repealing some building regulations that govern abortion clinics "dramatically increase the availability of abortion" in the state, said the president of the California Catholic Conference.
Ambassador, priest pay tribute to Jesuits who perished in Holocaust
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CNS) — Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See joined Oblate Father Thomas B. Curran, president of Jesuit-run Rockhurst University in Kansas City, in laying a wreath Oct. 9 at a plaque on campus that pays tribute to the more than 150 Jesuits who died at the hands of the Nazis. “It is […]
Pope meets Rome Jews, commemorates deportations to Auschwitz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — At a meeting with members of Rome’s Jewish community, Pope Francis denounced anti-Semitism and recalled the 1943 deportation of more than 1,000 of the city’s Jews to the most notorious Nazi death camp — an incident that has proven a major source of tension between the papacy and Jewish leaders. “It’s […]
Pope declares medieval mystic a saint, advances seven other causes
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis advanced the sainthood causes of seven men and women, including a Canadian and an English founder of two religious orders for women. He also declared the Italian medieval mystic, Blessed Angela of Foligno, a saint, foregoing the usual process of canonization and without formally recognizing a second miracle. Pope […]
Civilian chaplains now returning to ministry despite federal shutdown
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Civilian Catholic chaplains, unable to perform religious duties at U.S. military bases during the first weekend of the federal government shutdown, were getting back on the job as the shutdown continued into its second week. “We’re now being told priests can return to work,” said John Schlageter, general counsel for the Archdiocese […]
Immigration reform focus of prayer vigils in Virginia, Rhode Island
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (CNS) — As Catholics in more than 150 cities rallied and prayed for Congress to restructure the country’s immigration laws, parishioners at a northern Virginia parish asked God to “grant the miracle of reform” at a bilingual prayer vigil. Members and guests of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Falls Church Oct. […]
Cardinal Dolan, in Rome, lauds pope’s ‘new strategy’ of evangelization
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis’ recent warning against overemphasizing moral teachings against abortion, same-sex marriage and contraception means that U.S. bishops should emulate his positive approach to evangelization, not shift the priorities of their public policy agenda, said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York. “What he’s saying is that if the perception of […]
Archbishop says synod theme shows importance of family for pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis’ decision to call an extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family in 2014 demonstrates how important he believes the family is and the urgency he sees in responding to problems Christian families face, said the head of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, council president, said […]
Church workers: Honduran mine concessions fuel human rights abuses
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CNS) — Four years after a coup d’etat threw Honduras into crisis, church workers said human rights abuses continue unabated, fueled by disputes over mining concessions. A new Honduran mining law passed in January has opened up huge swaths of the countryside to mining exploration. But the mining industry has increasingly […]
Doylestown school honors top 7th graders, welcomes graduate broadcaster
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Doylestown held an induction ceremony Monday, Oct. 7 for 21 academically flourishing seventh grade students who were welcomed into the Blessed Duns Scotus Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. Keynote speaker for the ceremony was Marc Farzetta, host of sports radio station 610 WIP, who is an alumnus of the Bucks County School.