News
Budget deal defined as much by what’s left undone as by what it does
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 — and 2013, considering when the House of Representatives passed it — will be known as much by what it doesn’t include as what it does include. The legislation, among other things, puts off until March 1 all of the elements that could have been […]
Silence and song: Youths make ecumenical New Year’s pilgrimage to Rome
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even with 45,000 people -- mostly young adults -- gathered in St. Peter's Square, one could hear the sound of splashing water from the square's two decorative fountains. The hush was part of the ebb and flow of silence and song that marked the Taize ecumenical community's pilgrimage to Rome Dec. 28-Jan. 2, bringing young adults together for quiet prayer, the singing of Taize chants and reflections on Scripture.
Despite evil, human beings are hard-wired for peace, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Welcoming in the new year, Pope Benedict XVI said that despite the injustice and violence in the world, every human being yearns for and is made for peace. "Man is made for peace, which is a gift of God," but also something individuals must work tirelessly to build, he said.
US high court justice denies HHS injunction; lower court grants one
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied two companies' request for an injunction Dec. 26 while they challenge part of the Department of Health and Human Services' contraceptive mandate in court. Four days later, a federal District Court judge in Michigan granted a temporary restraining order to Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza, allowing him to decline to provide contraceptive coverage to the employees of his current business, Domino's Farms Office Complex.
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12
Agenda for a year of faith: looking ahead for the church in 2013
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Fortunetelling, like all occult practices, is strictly taboo at the Vatican; and prophecy is a rare gift among journalists. But Pope Benedict XVI's calendar for 2013 is already filling up with planned, probable or possible events. Here are 10 to watch for in the news during the coming year.
Bishop Edward T. Hughes, former Philadelphia bishop and priest, dies at 92
METUCHEN, N.J. (CNS) -- Retired Bishop Edward T. Hughes of Metuchen, N.J., a former auxiliary bishop and priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, died Christmas Day. He was 92. A funeral Mass was scheduled for Jan. 4 in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Metuchen. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, will celebrate the liturgy.
Parishes called to welcome, support people with mental illness
When Deacon Tom Lambert's wife was hospitalized for open heart surgery, friends brought unsolicited meals to the family's door every day. But "when our daughter was diagnosed with mental illness, no one came to the door," he said. As "people of compassion and justice," the Massachusetts deacon said, Catholics can help by creating safe havens for people to talk about their mental illness and allow their faith to be part of their healing. Even a prayer intention at Mass may spark hope.
Parishioners mourn firefighters ambushed while responding to blaze
WEBSTER, N.Y. (CNS) — Christmas Masses in the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y., took on a somber tone as parishioners mourned two volunteer firefighters fatally shot while responding to a fire in a lakeshore community outside of Rochester. Firefighters Michael Chiapperini, 43, and Tomasz Kaczowka, 19, died in a hail of gunfire Dec. 24 after being […]
Justice Sotomayor denies injunction against contraceptive mandate
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied two companies' request for an injunction while they challenge part of the Department of Health and Human Services' contraceptive mandate in court. In an order filed Dec. 26, Sotomayor ruled that the owners of the Hobby Lobby craft store and the Mardel Christian bookstore chains did not qualify for an injunction while they challenge requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The law takes effect Jan. 1.