Vatican foreign secretary Archbishop Paul Gallagher hailed the relationship between the United States and the Holy See as “strong and solid” on July 17 during a visit to the nation’s capital.
National News
Broken Dreams and Items Left Behind at Border
Tom Kiefer, a photographer who lives in Arizona, is documenting the journey of migrants at the southern border, examining the lives and religious beliefs of those trying to enter the United States.
Census Won’t Ask Citizenship Question
In a July 11 announcement from the Rose Garden, President Donald Trump said he was ending his efforts to add a citizenship question to the census and would instead direct federal agencies by executive order to provide data about the country’s citizens and noncitizens to the U.S. Commerce Department.
Zuckerberg Confirms Facebook Blocked Pro-Life Ads
Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has come under fire after he publicly confirmed that the social media behemoth banned pro-life advertisements during Ireland’s abortion referendum in 2018 — a vote that led to the legalization of abortion in the traditionally Catholic country.
United States to Co-Host Vatican Summit on Religious Freedom
U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich announced on July 17 that the United States and the Vatican will co-host a summit on religious freedom in October of 2019.
Appeals Court Says Title X Rule Can Take Effect While Suits Proceed
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced July 15 it would begin implementing the Trump administration’s “Protect Life Rule” to bar Title X funds from being used for promoting or providing abortion as family planning.
Clinics With Title X Funding Cannot Recommend Abortion to Mothers Under ‘Protect Life Rule’
On July 15 the Department of Health and Human Services notified family planning clinics that effective immediately per the Trump administration’s Protect Life Rule, they cannot refer mothers to abortion providers if they are recipients of Title X funding, which federally subsidizes abortion services.
Mother Cabrini’s Ministry to Immigrants Called ‘More Essential’ Than Ever
St. Francis Xavier Cabrini took to heart Jesus’ greatest commandment to love God and love one’s neighbor by tending to those most in need — children, the sick, orphans and “most of all” immigrants, said New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan July 13.
Bishop Leading “Crystal Cathedral” Makeover Says Beauty Ignites Faith
Once the home of evangelical pastor Robert Schuller of the Reformed Church in America and his famed “Hour of Power,” the building, which is made of more than 10,000 panes of glass, was purchased by the diocese of Orange in 2012 after Schuller’s ministry went bankrupt.
ICE Raids Muted, But Draw Criticism From Church
Religious leaders and immigration advocates spoke out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after the Trump administration, sticking to his campaign promises, promised that ICE would begin roundups of undocumented immigrants this past weekend in major cities nationwide, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.