After a federal appeals court ruled Jan. 2 that emergency room doctors in Texas are not required to perform abortions, effectively blocking regulatory guidance previously issued by the federal government, the state’s Catholic bishops said they welcome the ruling.
Author: John Lavenburg
Miami Prelate: Nicaragua’s Dictatorship Has Gone ‘Off the Rails’
Following the latest round of arrests of Catholic leaders in Nicaragua and the continued imprisonment of Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami has said the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega has gone “off the rails.”
NY Gov. Hochul Signs Bill Establishing Panel to Examine Slavery Reparations
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Entering 2024, New York state will create a commission to consider reparations for African American residents. Up against a Dec. 31 deadline, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Dec. 19 to establish the panel. New York legislators originally passed the bill to create the commission back in June. “Today, we are […]
Vatican Note on Blessing Same-Sex Couples Draws Mixed US Reaction
In the hours that followed release of a Vatican note outlining the pastoral grounds for same-sex blessings, reactions among American Catholics seemed to run the gamut from styling it as a major step forward to insisting on hitting the brakes, on the grounds that not much has really changed.
Bishop Brennan, Cardinal Dolan Reach Out to Support Victims of Oct. 7 Hamas Attacks
Bishop Robert Brennan and Cardinal Timothy Dolan were part of an interfaith leadership group that recently met with survivors of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, offering support and hearing the survivors’ accounts from that tragic day.
As Expansion of Assisted Suicide Looms, Canada’s Bishops Back Alternatives
Facing an imminent expansion of Canada’s assisted suicide law to make people suffering from mental illness eligible, the nation’s Catholic bishops are calling on health care providers to invest more in mental health resources to get people the help they need.
‘Trinity’ Archbishop Protests Cuts in Funding for Nuclear Test Victims
In a year in which the legacy of the world’s first nuclear test has been thrust back into the spotlight due to the success of the Oscar-contending movie “Oppenheimer,” New Mexico’s Catholic archbishop is protesting a recent congressional move to cut long-standing compensation for victims of nuclear testing and uranium mining from a defense bill.
Steubenville, Columbus Dioceses to Resume Merger Talks
About a year after the former bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, publicly announced that a merger with the neighboring Diocese of Columbus was being discussed, generating swift backlash from local priests and laity, the two dioceses have announced that merger talks have resumed.
Black, Hispanic Catholic Choirs in Baltimore Promote ‘Unity and Joy’
When Joseph Oden performs in parish choirs, he says he lets the spirit move him — sometimes he’ll cry, sometimes he’ll dance. Other times, like at the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Black Catholic Mass choir debut last week, he’s just filled with “a lot of joy.”
Bishops Pray for Healing, Consolation After Latest US Mass Shootings
After three people were killed and another critically injured in a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Dec. 6, Archbishop George Leo Thomas of Las Vegas has said his “thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and survivors of this tragedy.”