News
U.S. bishops view Supreme Court’s rulings as ‘tragic day for marriage’
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- U.S. Catholic bishops said the U.S. Supreme Court's June 26 rulings on same-sex marriage were a "tragic day for marriage and our nation." Same-sex unions "copy marriage and family, and in the process, they compete with and diminish the uniquely important status of both," said Archbishop Charles Chaput in a statement. "The court got it wrong," said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco in a statement.
Supreme Court overturns federal marriage law on 5-4 vote
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, defining marriage as between one man and one woman, is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause, the Supreme Court ruled June 26 in a 5-4 opinion. In a separate case, the court declined to hear a challenge to California's Proposition 8, the voter-approved initiative barring same-sex marriage in that state. The apparent result is that same-sex marriage will again be legal in California as soon as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals formally dismisses the case, as the high court instructed it.
CatholicPhilly.com wins two national Catholic awards
CatholicPhilly.com won two awards from the Catholic Press Association at a presentation June 21, part of the annual Catholic Media Convention in Denver, Colo. The official news website of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and digital successor to The Catholic Standard and Times won third place for “Best General Publisher Website.” The award citation noted CatholicPhilly.com’s […]
U.S. Supreme Court overturns key provision of Voting Rights Act
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Supreme Court June 25 overturned the part of the Voting Rights Act used to determine that 15 states have had to comply with the law’s protections for minority voters. The 5-4 decision said: “Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional; its formula can no longer be used as a […]
Court kicks back college quotas case; takes clinic protests, visa cases
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Supreme Court June 24 kicked back a university affirmative action case to a lower court and took cases for the next term dealing with buffer zones for protests at abortion clinics and whether the children of immigrants lose their place in line for visas when they turn 21. Remaining cases to […]
Salt+Light uses Internet to send Chinese programming to mainland
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Salt+Light TV, the Toronto-based Catholic television programmer, is using the Internet to send its Chinese-language programming to mainland China. And, unlike some of the North American giants of online services, Salt+Light's programming is not getting blocked by Chinese censors.
Environment advocates consider Obama climate plan a good step forward
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholics working for environmental justice welcomed President Barack Obama's plan to address climate change, saying it is an ambitious proposal that deserves watching to ensure that it is carried out. The primary concern identified by the faith-based environment advocates revolves around how the plan will affect low-income communities around the world and workers who may be displaced because of the shift toward renewable energy sources.
Roe raised more questions about abortion than it resolved, says speaker
NOTRE DAME, Ind. (CNS) — In 1973, many people thought the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision would resolve the abortion debate, but “in fact, it was no resolution at all,” said the associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. “Abortion itself remains perhaps the most unresolved of all modern public […]
Pope creates commission to study activities, mission of Vatican bank
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis has created a five-person commission to review the activities and mission of the Vatican bank. The new pontifical commission, which includes two U.S. members, reflects the pope’s desire to ensure the bank’s activities are in harmony with the mission of the universal church and the Apostolic See, said a […]
‘All of us’ are equally important in the church, pope says at audience
Read the full text of the Pope’s speech VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The stability of the church requires that it be built on Jesus, but its beauty and strength also rely on the contributions of each and every Christian, Pope Francis said. “If someone tells you, ‘Go home, you’re not needed,’ that’s not true,” the […]