A Massachusetts judge ruled Aug. 30 that Theodore McCarrick, a 93-year-old former cardinal, was not competent enough, due to advanced dementia, to stand trial on state charges of sexual abuse.
National News
California AG Sues School District Over Gender Change Parental Notification Requirement
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against a school district in the state Aug. 28, asking a judge to block that district’s requirement that parents be notified if their child seeks to change their pronouns or gender identity at school.
Retired Wyoming Bishop Dies; Exonerated at Vatican Trial Over Abuse Claims
Retired Bishop Joseph H. Hart of Cheyenne, who headed the statewide diocese from 1978 until his retirement in 2001 and had over the years faced accusations he had sexually abused minors in years past, died Aug. 23 at Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne, according to an Aug. 25 obituary in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle daily newspaper. He was 91.
Catholic Parishes Relied on Faith, Prudent Planning During University Shooting
Two North Carolina pastors told OSV News their parish security plans were put to a real-life test when an active shooting unfolded nearby — and safety and mental health ministries are serving as a model for other churches, said lay leaders.
Eucharistic Miracle Science May Bolster, But Should Not Distract From Faith, Say Experts
“Uh, we had something happen,” Father Joseph Crowley told the congregation March 5 near the end of Mass at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, Connecticut, a parish once pastored by Knights of Columbus founder Blessed Michael McGivney.
BREAKING: Massachusetts Sex Abuse Charges Against McCarrick Dismissed; He’s Ruled Incompetent to Stand Trial
A Massachusetts judge ruled Aug. 30 that Theodore McCarrick, a 93-year-old former U.S. Cardinal, was not competent enough, due to advanced dementia, to stand trial on charges of sexual abuse in that state.
Maryland Parents Continue Fight to Have Children Opt Out of LGBTQ+ Content
A group of Catholic, Muslim, and Ethiopian Orthodox parents in Maryland are continuing their fight to allow their children in public elementary schools in Montgomery County to opt out of reading books, or being read books, with LGBTQ+ content.
NBC: Virginia Governor May Seek 15-Week Abortion Ban if GOP Takes Legislature
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will seek the passage of a 15-week abortion ban if Republicans gain control of the state’s General Assembly this fall, NBC News reported.
Mental Health Crisis Demands Church’s Integrated Response, Says Virginia Bishop
With National Suicide Prevention Month approaching in September, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia — just a few miles from the nation’s capital — is urging mental health discussion and engagement, rather than avoidance and evasion.
Fourteen States, Others Back N.Y. Pro-Life Sidewalk Minister’s Court Case
A group of 14 states, legal experts, sidewalk pro-life counselors, and pregnancy centers are urging the Supreme Court to take up the case of Debra Vitagliano, a Catholic challenging a law in Westchester County, New York, that prohibits her sidewalk ministry outside abortion clinics.