The U.S. bishops are considering renewing the mandate of their Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism for a second three-year term.
National News
McCarrick Report Dominates First Day of U.S. Bishops’ Meeting
A new virtual format left little room for dialogue at day one of the U.S. Bishops annual fall meeting, but for one 45-minute stretch more than a dozen bishops gave their takes on laicized ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
Analysis: Reality of the Abuse Scandals Now Seems a Tale of Two Cardinals
Over the last three years, sexual abuse charges against two high-profile and massively influential cardinals have rocked the Catholic Church, and now, seemingly, both stories have reached their conclusions. Cardinal George Pell is a free man, while Theodore McCarrick is laicized and exposed as a cunning manipulator able to hoodwink three papacies until his string finally ran out.
Blaming St. John Paul II for McCarrick’s Advancement Called Misplaced
Following the Nov. 10 release of the Vatican’s 460-page report on former cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, some of the speculation in the media has centered on the role of St. John Paul II in McCarrick’s rise through church ranks.
Social Media Censorship Leads To the Rise of Free-Speech App
Disgruntled conservatives, claiming they were targeted while liberals could tweet freely, are flocking to “Parler” — that’s French for “talk.” This new platform claims to be an unbiased home for social networking that honors free speech. Conservative politicians, pundits, and other users tout it as a powerful alternative to longtime platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
Pope Francis, U.S. Bishops Continue Working to Combat Sex Abuse
Pope Francis and U.S. bishops have worked hard to combat clergy sex abuse, according to officials who said the church has made a serious effort to put the victims first even if it means publicly exposing ugly facts about crimes.
New ‘Benchmarks’ Released to Help Seminaries Deal With Sexual Misconduct
When reports of then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s sexual misconduct surfaced in 2018, John Cavadini got to work.
Chaplain to Death-Row Inmates Says Use of Death Penalty in U.S. Must End
A Catholic chaplain to Florida’s death-row inmates used a virtual forum to focus on his most significant lifetime pursuit — raising awareness about the wrongness of America’s use of the death penalty.
In Gathering for U.S. Bishops Like No Other, Annual Meeting Goes Online
U.S. Catholic bishops will gather Nov. 16 and 17 for their annual meeting, but this time in an online format because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Navy Dad, Back Home After 15 Months Away, Surprises Daughter at Catholic School
The father-daughter reunion at a Catholic school in suburban Chicago was weeks in the making. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Konrad Otachel recently made a surprise visit to St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic School in Palatine to see his daughter, Naomi, a kindergartner.