WASHINGTON (CNS) – The Supreme Court ruled this week that prayers said before town council meetings in Greece, N.Y., do not violate the Constitution. In their 5-4 decision, the judges noted a historical precedent to opening local legislative meetings with a prayer were not coercive to those in attendance.
National News
Farmer’s Letter Invited JP II to Iowa in 1979
TRURO, Iowa (CNS) – People in and around the small town of Truro, southwest of Des Moines, still remember Joseph Hays as the farmer whose letter persuaded Pope John Paul II to come to Iowa during his, and any pope’s, first tour of the U.S. in 1979.
Catholic Teachers Are Urged to Evangelize
PITTSBURGH (CNS) – The new evangelization is not a new Gospel but refocuses the faithful on the good news of Jesus and involves the renewal of faith and the willingness to share it, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C., told the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA).
Pilgrims Roughed It to Get Spot for Canonization
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Volunteers wearing neon yellow vests interlocked their arms and led the crowds, several hundred at a time, slowly toward St. Peter’s Square.
Families Mark One Year Since Marathon Bombing
BOSTON (CNS) – The families of the three people killed in the Boston Marathon bombing explosions a year ago marked the first anniversary with poignant remembrances and emotional testimonies.
Christophers to Honor Films, TV Shows, Books
The feature films “42” and “Gimme Shelter” were two of the top winners of this year’s Christophers Awards, as were one television documentary and one book about martyred priests from the U.S. and Poland.
Court Rules Against Photog Who Refused Same-Sex Wedding Job
The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that said a New Mexico photographer violated the state’s human rights law by refusing to photograph a commitment ceremony for a same-sex couple.
Philadelphia Seminary to Auction Historic Portraits
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., announced it was placing five portraits painted by Thomas Eakins for sale through Christie’s Private Sales in New York.
Will Pope Visit Philadelphia?
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next year will be open to families and people of different faiths, including no faith at all, to engage the wider society in dialogue and to serve and strengthen all families, organizers said.
Bible Illiteracy Comes as No Surprise to Professor
WASHINGTON (CNS) – In a recent class at Wheaton College, Ill., English professor Leland Ryken asked his students what John Milton was referring to when he mentioned “the broad way” in one of his sonnets.