The body of the late-pastor of St. Gabriel’s Church in East Elmhurst, Father Gioacchino Basile, one of the diocesan priests who died April 4 due to complications associated with COVID-19, will make its way home to Calabria, a region in southern Italy. On Sept. 8, parishioners gathered outside of Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen, Carroll Gardens, to bid their final farewell to their beloved pastor and friend.
Author: Bill Miller
Eviction Moratorium Seen As Short-Term Fix That Might Bring Long-Term Problems
A moratorium on housing evictions announced Sept. 1 by President Donald Trump will keep thousands of Americans in their homes through the end of the year, but critics say it would only delay a housing catastrophe for a few months.
Invalid Baptisms Possible But Rare
Catholics in the U.S. are learning about a problem most could never anticipate — the idea that a baptism could be invalid. Church leaders in the Diocese of Brooklyn acknowledged that this could happen.
Only in Print: ‘Shock’ of Pandemic Hit Lay Movements Hard
Survivors of COVID-19, or even those who never had it, can still suffer its residual ravages of confusion, isolation, and loneliness — sorrows shared by lay workers for the Diocese of Brooklyn. In the pandemic’s wake, they grieve losses of family, friends, and even clergy, but they also mourn how the disease robbed them of the fellowship they enjoyed while laboring in dozens of lay movements active in the diocese.
Covington High School Teen, Nick Sandmann, Speaks at RNC
Kentucky teenager Nick Sandmann told the RNC audience Tuesday that the “full war machine of the mainstream media revved up into attack mode” against him last year without knowing all the facts.
Four More Years? The Incumbents’ Record on the Issues, Including Abortion, Religious Freedom and Immigration
President Donald Trump officially became the GOP’s 2020 presidential nominee at the party’s convention this week in Charlotte, N.C. But winning the national Catholic vote in November is not necessarily a slam dunk.
Harris Seen as Progressive Partisan Who Can Pivot
Kamala Harris’s campaign positions on immigration reform, aid to refugees, and poverty, align with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. But some Catholics won’t approve of her stance on abortion. Some advocates of religious freedom claim Harris has been openly hostile to their beliefs.
Bishops Press for Death Penalty Protests Amid New Federal Executions
While many Catholic bishops insist that the Church must vigorously oppose the death penalty, not all Catholics agree, with almost half not sharing the sentiment.
Critics Hope to Rein In Emergency Pandemic Powers for Cuomo, de Blasio
The Legislature voted in March to give Gov. Andrew Cuomo the power to suspend certain laws by executive order during the COVID-19 pandemic, but critics say it’s time to end the added authority because statewide coronavirus deaths have dropped significantly.
Local Scouts Stay Busy Despite Virus Lockdown
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Boy Scouts sponsored by parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn to complete rank and merit badge courses “virtually” with video-conferencing programs like Zoom.