News
Women signing up fast for first conference in Phila. next month
The Catholic Women’s Conference titled “Feminine Genius: Every Woman’s Gift” will meet in Philadelphia Dec. 7. More than 350 women -- married, single and consecrated religious -- have registered so far, and there is capacity for 700 attendees to the all-day event at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
CRS asks bishops to take up second collection to aid Philippines
BALTIMORE (CNS) — Catholic Relief Services officials committed $20 million in emergency aid for survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan, expecting that the funds will come from a second collection the agency asked U.S. bishops to take in their dioceses before the end of the year. “Our goal is to serve 100,000 families, about a half […]
Church beatifies German nun who founded order for perpetual adoration
PADERBORN, Germany (CNS) -- A Catholic nun who was born into a poor rural family and founded a religious order has been beatified in her native Germany more than a century after her death. "It is written in the Bible that love of neighbor is linked inseparably to love of God," Archbishop Hans-Josef Becker of Paderborn said at the Nov. 10 beatification of Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel.
Archbishop: DOMA ruling, ENDA passage put marriage at ‘critical point’
BALTIMORE (CNS) — The Supreme Court’s ruling that rendered the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, and the Senate’s passage Nov. 7 of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act put the legal defense of marriage “at a critical point in this country,” said the archbishop who heads the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on the Promotion and Defense of […]
Archbishop Kurtz, Cardinal DiNardo elected to top USCCB posts
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- UPDATED -- Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by a wide margin Nov. 12. The archbishop, the current USCCB vice president, received 125 votes during the first round of balloting during the fall general assembly of the U.S. bishops in Baltimore. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston was elected vice president, edging Archbishop Charles Chaput.
Bishops OK plan to address pornography in new statement
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops Nov. 12 approved the development of a pastoral statement on the dangers pornography poses to family life that would serve as a teaching tool for church leaders. On Day Two of their annual fall general assembly in Baltimore, the bishops voted 226 to 5 to allow the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth to develop the statement.
Desperate Filipinos add to challenging logistics of delivering aid
MANILA, Philippines (CNS) -- International and local groups were poised to get aid to the worst-hit areas of the typhoon-stricken central Philippines, but the challenges of getting help to communities growing desperate for food and water went beyond just making sure roads were clear.
Catholics described as eager to give input as church prepares for synod
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- The extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, called by Pope Francis for next October, is drawing great interest from everyday Catholics, many of whom are anxious to weigh in on questions the Vatican has sent out in preparation for the session.
NE Philadelphia pastor resigns due to stress from allegations
Father John Paul announced his resignation as pastor of Our Lady of Calvary Parish in Philadelphia Sunday, Nov. 10, citing in the church bulletin a decline in his “physical and spiritual health” as a result of allegations of past misconduct. Law enforcement did not press charges, but the archdiocesan investigation continues.
Cardinal Dolan urges bishops to make religious freedom a priority
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan called upon his brother bishops to champion the cause of people around the world being persecuted because of their faith even as the bishops continue to prevent what he described as infringements upon religious practice in the United States. In his final address as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the opening of their fall general assembly Nov. 11 in Baltimore, Cardinal Dolan outlined a series of steps the bishops can take to protect religious freedom around the world.