U.S. bishops at their spring meeting earlier this month produced guidelines on how to hold themselves accountable. Here are some of the measures.
National News
Photo of Drowned Migrant Father and Daughter Shocks Nation
A searing photo of a migrant father and daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande River on the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas has gone viral, becoming the latest flashpoint in the issue of immigration at the southern border.
U.S. Bishops Draw Flak for Official Statement After Trump’s Deportation Threat
Following President Donald Trump’s plans to deport “millions” of undocumented migrants, the United States Conference of Catholic bishops (USCCB) released a statement acknowledging that nations have a right to protect their borders, while urging attention toward the root causes of migration.
Indianapolis Archdiocese Says Jesuit School With Gay Teacher Is Not ‘Catholic’
After refusing to fire a teacher who is gay and in a civil same-sex marriage, a Jesuit school in Indianapolis has been stripped of its Catholic label by the archdiocese.
NY Cardinal Says Vatican-Israel Ties Have Made ‘World a Better Place’
Reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Holy See and Israel, New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan hailed the occasion as an international achievement that has “quite literally made the world a better place.”
Update: Historic Cross on Public Property Can Stay, Supreme Court Rules
For nearly a century, the 40-foot cross “has expressed the community’s grief at the loss of the young men who perished, its thanks for their sacrifice, and its dedication to the ideals for which they fought. It has become a prominent community landmark.”
California’s Bishops Call for Ecological Conversion on ‘Laudato Si’ Milestone
Timed to mark the 4th anniversary of Laudato si’ -Pope Francis’s landmark document on the environment – the Catholic bishops of California have released a major pastoral statement calling for statewide ecological conversion.
At Bishops Summit, Filling McCarrick’s Chair Signals Hope for Change
For some observers, it was a welcome sign that even in an archaic institution, change is possible. Yet for others, it remains to be seen whether such change is more than mere symbolism.
U.S. Hierarchy Stop Short of Mandating Lay Involvement in Bishop Accountability
After three days of intense debate over the role of the laity in overseeing bishops accused of abuse or its cover-up, the U.S. Catholic bishops voted to enact new standards for holding bishops accountable that include lay involvement, although stopping short of making it a mandatory requirement.
U.S. Bishops Vote to Design Hotline for Reporting Complaints Against Bishops
As the U.S. Catholic bishops move closer to enacting new protocols for bishop accountability, they concluded the second day of their high stakes spring meeting by approving a measure to design a national third-party system for reporting claims against bishops.