On what was expected to be a climatic close to the U.S. bishops’ gathering on Wednesday, the much-watched meeting ended without any immediate action on the Church’s response to clerical sexual abuse.
USCCB
Vatican Asks US Bishops for Delay in Responding to Sex Abuse Crisis
At the start of the U.S. bishops’ fall meeting on Monday, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the bishops conference, announced that the Vatican has requested a delay on such measures until after a February Vatican summit on the scandal.
Texas Bishop Wants to Turn ‘Hispanic Challenge’ Into Opportunity
Texas may be known as a state of “Lone Rangers,” but for Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth, he’s hoping the V Encuentro, taking place in his diocese this week, will be a chance to shed rugged individualism in the American Catholic Church for an embrace of a larger community.
Bishop of West Virginia Retires; Pope Orders Investigation of Allegations
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, and has instructed Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore to conduct an investigation into allegations that Bishop Bransfield sexually harassed adults.
President of US Bishops’ Conference Issues Statement Following Meeting with Pope Francis
Following a private audience with Pope Francis this morning in Vatican City, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued the following statement regarding the recent moral crisis in the American Catholic Church.
Church Can’t Teach Family and Love Without Facing Abuse Scandals, Cardinal Says
Cardinal Blase Cupich offered a powerful admission that Church leaders “cannot pretend to teach” on matters such as the family and love without acknowledging the scandal of clerical sex abuse, which looms ever larger over the global Catholic Church at the moment.
US Bishops Address “Moral Catastrophe”
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has issued the following statement after a series of meetings with members of the USCCB’s Executive Committee and other bishops.
Victory for Texas Bishops in Religious Liberty Battle Over Fetal Remains
As a case over whether the state of Texas can require fetal remains to be buried is argued in Federal Court this week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals handed the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops a major victory just hours before opening arguments began, saying they did not have to comply with a third party subpoena that would have required the bishops to release decades of internal correspondence over the issue of abortion.
Bishops Close Border Visit Calling for Family Unity, Compassion
“We are a nation of laws, and we are also a nation of compassion.” That was the mantra of an early July visit by a delegation of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the epicenter of the immigration crisis, the Brownsville-McAllen area in Texas, right on the Mexico border.
At the US Border, Parishioners Fear Immigration Realities
While the separation of families is the issue on the front cover of the newspapers, there is another drama taking place in theses towns near the border. For many years, people on both sides of the border formed a large interconnected community. Close to 85 percent of the McAllen population is Hispanic and there are many families that have lived here for decades without proper documents.