A Wisconsin judge on Jan. 10 suspended a sexual assault case against Theodore McCarrick after a court-appointed psychologist found the ex-cardinal not competent to stand trial, possibly ending efforts to secure a criminal prosecution.
Author: John Lavenburg
Michigan Report: No Priests Facing Abuse Charges, but Three With Misconduct Complaints
A new report on clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, found that there are no priests or deacons in active ministry in the diocese facing substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, and that total allegations have plummeted since the U.S. bishops’ conference implemented the Dallas Charter in 2002.
Bishops Urged to Back Campaign to Shift Defense Spending to Social Programs
A campaign to encourage Congress to redirect military spending toward helping the nation’s poor and marginalized has gotten support from 17 American bishops, a number those leading the campaign hope to see continue to grow.
Ex-Alabama Priest Who Fled Country With a Teenage Girl Is Laicized
A Mobile, Alabama, priest who left the United States with a teenage woman last summer under murky circumstances, and who returned last fall, has been officially laicized effective immediately, the archdiocese announced on Jan. 5.
Newark Cardinal ‘Deeply Distressed’ by Violent Death of Local Imam
In response to the violent death of a local imam, Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark has said he is “deeply distressed by the loss of a “revered faith and community leader.”
Texas Bishops Welcome Ruling Blocking Requirement for Emergency Abortions
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.
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.
