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.
Author: John Lavenburg
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.
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.