Following the publication of his book on outreach to LGBT Catholics, Jesuit priest Father James Martin has been disinvited from various speaking engagements. Most recently, an invitation to speak at Theological College at the Catholic University of America has been rescinded.
New York’s newly opened Sheen Center for Thought and Culture is Cardinal Dolan’s attempt to reach people of no faith through the arts. In its opening act of its second season, Broadway star Vanessa Williams spoke about her Catholic faith in between musical performances.
In the opening lecture for Georgetown University’s Sacred Lecture Series, Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington defended Pope Francis’s efforts to decentralize Church governance, his approach to synodality, and ‘Amoris Laetitia.’
Local Houston legend Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale became a worldwide icon of generosity by opening his furniture stores to shelter Hurricane Harvey victims. He said he was inspired by his Catholic faith.
New York’s highest appeals court has unanimously ruled that the state’s ban on physician-assisted suicide is constitutional, granting a major victory to opponents of the practice.
In a judicial nominee hearing last week, Senator Diane Feinstein questioned whether the nominee’s adherence to Catholic teaching should prevent her from a federal appointment. Less than twenty-four hours later, former White House strategist Steve Bannon lambasted the Catholic bishops for their support for DACA. Some have wondered if the two incidents indicate an uptick in anti-Catholic bias in the United States.
At the annual prayer service for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, participants were encouraged to follow the example of Archbishop Óscar Romero who was martyred for standing up to government abuse and promoting human dignity.
In a recent CBS interview, former White House strategist Steve Bannon lambasted the Church’s support for immigrants and claimed the U.S. Bishops are only interested in their plight in order to fill the pews. Bannon said the bishops are “just another guy with an opinion.”
FEMA is being sued by three churches damaged by Hurricane Harvey that are being denied relief funding because of their status as religious institutions. Since the 1990s, FEMA has banned houses of worship from receiving federal aid — a policy that the religious liberty law firm Becket is now challenging.
Maryknoll Sister Janet Carroll, founding executive director of the U.S. Catholic China Bureau, was the recipient of the organization’s 2017 Matteo Ricci Award, an honor bestowed upon people who best exemplify the bureau’s mission to build a bridge of friendship and service between the Catholic Church in the U.S. and China.
