News
Britain opens inquiry into allegations involving end-of-life protocol
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — The British government has opened an independent inquiry into allegations that an end-of-life protocol is operating as a euthanasia pathway. It said the inquiry would investigate complaints raised by families who say that relatives have died after they were placed, without their knowledge, on the Liverpool Care Pathway. The framework, intended […]
Lebanese church agency helps refugees from Syria navigate UN system
BEIRUT (CNS) -- When Syrian refugees arrive in Lebanon, help begins with a phone call to the U.N. refugee agency -- if they can get through. In most refugee areas, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has no fixed office; its staffers make only sporadic visits for which refugees make appointments over the phone. It's that phone call that is the problem.
When sharing the faith, keep it simple, joyful, credible, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a world of hardened hearts and titillating distractions, Christians need to keep the Gospel message simple and live what they teach with love and joy, Pope Benedict XVI said during his weekly general audience Nov. 28. The best place to start is with one's own family, he said, learning to spend time together, listening and understanding one another, and "being a sign for each other of God's merciful love."
A Baby’s Breath becomes a sign for life in Warminster
A Baby’s Breath Crisis Pregnancy Center in Warminster placed and blessed its new sign on Saturday, Nov. 17, just six months after signing the lease for the center across the parking lot from a Planned Parenthood facility. Msgr. George Majoros, pastor of St. Jude Parish in Chalfont, led the blessing of the sign, which includes […]
Sunday morning faith sharing at St. Katharine Drexel Shrine
The St. Katharine Drexel Mission Center, Bensalem, offers weekly Sunday Morning Faith Sharing based on the Sunday Mass readings from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The Mission Center and National Shrine is located at 1663 Bristol Pike in Bensalem. Call Sister Annette Marie O‘Donnell, S.B.S., at 215-244-9900 for more information.
PCC praises Pa. task force’s report on child protection laws
The Task Force on Child Protection released its report recommending several changes to existing state laws governing child abuse Nov. 27 in Harrisburg, and the policy arm of Pennsylvania’s Catholic bishops was quick to praise the task force’s work. In the wake of the child sex abuse scandal that resulted in the conviction last year of former Penn State University athletic director Jerry Sandusky, the 11-member panel was created by Gov. Tom Corbett and the General Assembly to examine the state’s laws and procedures designed to protect children from abuse.
Accepting award, Father Byron calls for national service program
Father William Byron, S.J., accepted the Barry Award from the American Catholic Historical Society Nov. 16. Cicero said it best. “The first law of history is to not dare to tell a lie and not fear to tell the truth.” Pope Leo XIII quoted this in 1881 when he opened the Vatican Archives for scholarly research. The American Catholic Historical Society was founded in Philadelphia three years later and has striven to be true to this dictum ever since. Rodger Van Allen, the society’s 52nd president, also made reference to this famous quote at its annual Commodore John Barry Award Dinner held Nov. 16 at the Union League of Philadelphia.
Scientific evidence points only toward a created universe, says Jesuit
In a recent address in New Orleans, Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer said the exciting news for the new evangelization being called for by Pope Benedict XVI is the recent discoveries in "space-time geometry," prompting eminent physicists to assert the cosmos had to have a beginning and thus had to have a creator.
MP3 players loaded with spiritual material reach thousands of soldiers
WASHINGTON (CNS) — American troops have a strong presence around the globe, serving in 75 percent of the world’s countries, yet “one soldier told me they are starving for spiritual support,” said Cheri Lomonte, founder of Frontline Faith. The Catholic nonprofit organization gives MP3 players loaded with the Mass, stories and prayers to active-duty members […]
Supreme Court clears path for health care lawsuit
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way Nov. 26 for a federal appeals court to take up a Christian college's challenge to the Affordable Care Act, reopening one of several lawsuits filed by religious and other groups who oppose elements of the law. The court ordered the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hear the argument of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., that the health care law infringes on the Christian school's religious freedom.