Catholic journal of opinion Commonweal describes writer Alice McDermott as one of America’s greatest living novelists, while The Washington Post, in a review of her latest book, says the Catholic Church “lurks” in all of her stories.
National News
Bishops ‘Shamed’ by Sins Leading to Abuse
The U.S. bishops “are shamed by and sorry for the sins and omissions by Catholic priests and Catholic bishops” that have led to sexual abuse and caused great harm to many, said an Aug. 14 statement from the USCCB president and the chair of its child protection committee.
A Year After Charlottesville, U.S. Church Still Struggling with Race
When counter-protesters arrived in Charlottesville, Virginia last August to challenge the white nationalists and neo-Nazis gathered there, the one thing Gloria Purvis kept asking herself as she looked with horror upon television images of Confederate flags, torches, automatic rifles and Swastikas, was “Where are the Catholic priests?”
Cardinal Cupich: Revising Stance on Death Penalty Can’t ‘Rebalance the Scales of Justice’
Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, speaking during an Aug. 2 panel discussion, described how Catholic teaching on the death penalty has developed and stressed that putting people to death – even criminals who are certainly guilty of terrible acts – makes it seem that the God-given right to life is conditional.
Former Federal Judge in Washington Orders Administration to Restore DACA
A federal judge in Washington Aug. 3 ordered the Trump administration to restore a program that helped young adults brought into the country illegally as minors, saying reasons calling for its demise were not justified.
Rosary For Peace and Justice On Charlottesville Anniversary
As the first anniversary of violence stemming from protests and counter-protests regarding the removal of Confederate monuments from Charlottesville approached, Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Va., asked people to pray for justice, peace and an end to racism on the Aug. 12 anniversary.
Clergy Urge Inquiry Into Abuse Claims Against Archbishop
U.S. Catholic church leaders have been calling for an internal investigation into the handling of allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct against Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick and urging such an inquiry be spearheaded by laypeople.
Bishops Launch Pro-Life Novena Ahead of Senate SCOTUS Vote
In response to Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s call for prayer while lawmakers consider filling a vacant Supreme Court seat, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities has launched a novena, urging Catholics to pray and fast.
Study: Personal Reasons Keep People from Church, Not Lack of Faith
According to a new study from the Pew Research Center, many Americans choose not to attend religious services because of practical or personal reasons – not because of a lack of faith.
Following McCarrick Scandal, Cardinal DiNardo Acknowledges Crisis and Pledges Reform
Following Pope Francis’s historic decision to accept the resignation of once Cardinal Theodore McCarrick from the College of Cardinals after allegations of decades-long sex abuse, the head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) believes the “Church is suffering from a crisis of sexual morality” and is pledging reform.