Reflecting their concern that religious liberty at home and abroad remains a top priority, the U.S. bishops during their spring general assembly in Indianapolis, Ind., voted to make permanent their Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.
National News
Let Us Pray and Play!
Jesuit Father Patrick J. Conroy, chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, leads Democrats and Republicans in prayer.
Cardinal: Local Police Shouldn’t Be Enforcing Immigration Laws
Local law enforcement and local jurisdictions should not be required to enforce federal immigration law, said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
US Arrests Chaldean Christians
When U.S. immigration agents rounded up and arrested Chaldean Christians in southeast Michigan June 11, it was “a very strange and painful day for our community in America,” said the head of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle, based in Southfield.
For Luther, the Stumbling Block Was Papal Authority
The issue of papal authority was the one point that led Martin Luther to break from the Catholic Church, according to a Catholic University of America professor who spoke at a symposium on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation co-sponsored by the university.
US Bishops Speak Out on Climate Pact and Health Care
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are speaking out on President Donald Trump’s decision “not to honor the U.S. commitment” to the Paris climate and the U.S. Senate’s “grave obligation” to make sure their health care reform bill respects life, provides adequate health care and is “truly affordable.”
Relief in Sight on HHS Mandate
A leaked draft rule from the Department of Health and Human Services exempting religious groups from the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act was welcomed by church officials and attorneys representing the Little Sisters of the Poor, one group that challenged the mandate at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Hartford Plans to Close Parishes
The new pastoral plan for the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn., involves a number of parish closings and mergers.
Catholic Father Dies Attempting To Suppress Hate Speech
On a crowded Portland commuter train May 26, a selfless Catholic father of four stepped forward to calm a tense situation. He was that kind of guy.
Burlington Bishop Calls for Diocesan Synod to Plan Future
Burlington Bishop Christopher J. Coyne has announced plans to convene the first diocesan synod since 1962.