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May 2016

May 13

Bill would prohibit making religion basis for anyone to enter U.S.

May 13, 2016

WASHINGTON – Talk in the U.S. presidential campaign about restricting entry of Muslims into the United States has some religious leaders concerned that the country's religious liberty heritage is under threat.

Managing finances like a saint

May 13, 2016

TORONTO – Living in a materialistic world of impulse buying and celebrity culture, Quentin Schesnuik acknowledges how easily we are moved away from God. But by integrating faith with finances, we have the choice to treat our material possessions how God intends us to and to treat it in a healthier way.

Confusion with suicide

May 13, 2016

It is possible I am simply dense and if so, allow me to apologize from the very beginning.

A nation united by great tragedy

May 13, 2016

There is no doubt that the events at Fort McMurray are a tragedy. But the tragedy lies not only in the destruction, but in the disruption of everyday life.

Cardinal Pell: Laypeople a bridge between Church and the world

May 13, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Laypeople are called to be a bridge between the Church and the world, particularly in matters of finance where "clerics simply do not have that high level of expertise that can only come from highly competent and dedicated professionals," said Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy.

Pope did not say he'd ordain women deacons, spokesman says

May 13, 2016

VATICAN CITY – After some news outlets reported the Pope was considering ordaining women deacons and comments were made about women deacons leading to women priests, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi clarified the Pope’s comments May 13.

Ewan McGregor explores Jesus’ humanness in 'Last Days in the Desert'

May 13, 2016

“Daunting” is one word Ewan McGregor used about stepping into the role of Jesus in the new film Last Days in the Desert.

May 14

Order in the court: 'VatiLeaks' trial testifies to unique legal process

May 14, 2016

VATICAN CITY – The latest "VatiLeaks" trial seemed to have all the makings of a classic courtroom thriller: financial scandal, secrets leaked by an insider and journalists defending their right to blow the whistle on allegations of corruption within a state that is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church.

Economy of exclusion, inequality caused growth of poverty, Pope says

May 14, 2016

VATICAN CITY – An economic vision geared solely toward profit and material well-being has led to an economy of exclusion and inequality that has increased poverty and the number of people discarded "as unproductive and useless," Pope Francis said.

Euthanasia bill a kickstart to examining end-of-life options

May 14, 2016

As the federal government prepares to pass new legislation for physician-assisted suicide by the Supreme Court’s June 6 deadline, Catholics are growing nervous about what options they have for the future.

May 15

Bishop ordains father, son as deacons in a first for Green Bay Diocese

May 15, 2016

PULASKI, Wis. – When David Parker informed his eldest child, Legionary Brother David Parker Jr., that he was pursuing the diaconate again, the son had a question for his father: "How many years do you have in formation?"

Increasing Jewish settlements cause unease in Jerusalem's Old City

May 15, 2016

JERUSALEM – On a tidy residential street of the Christian Quarter of the Old City, boys still play with marbles along the cobblestones, and neighbours call out to one another from balconies abloom with red carnations.

Pope’s visit to Armenian genocide memorial may strain tensions with Turkey

May 15, 2016

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis will visit the Armenian Genocide memorial complex during a three-day visit to the country in June, a move that may strain the Vatican’s diplomatic relations with Turkey.

May 16

Gift of the Spirit renews our relationship with God (Pentecost Sunday)

May 16, 2016

“I will not leave you orphans” (Jn 14:18). The central purpose of Jesus' mission, which culminated in the gift of the Holy Spirit, was to renew our relationship with the Father, a relationship severed by sin, to take us from our state of being orphaned children and to restore us as his sons and daughters.

Biden receives high Catholic honour despite pro-abortion stance

May 16, 2016

Vice President Joseph Biden stood at the University of Notre Dame’s commencement ceremony on Sunday (May 15) with a medal signifying American Catholicism’s highest honor slung on a blue velvet rope around his neck.

Obama directive on transgender access to bathrooms 'deeply disturbing'

May 16, 2016

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration's May 13 directive on transgender access to bathrooms "that treats 'a student's gender identity as the student's sex' is deeply disturbing," said the chairmen of two U.S. Catholic bishops' committees.

Anglican-Catholic dialogue hammering out the ‘tough difficulties’

May 16, 2016

TORONTO – After nearly 50 years of discourse between the Catholic and Anglican communions, the official dialogue body wants to fine-tune how it studies the differences and similarities between two churches which both call themselves Catholic.

U.K. Catholic priest who fled sex abuse allegations arrested in Kosovo

May 16, 2016

A British Catholic priest has been arrested in Kosovo, five years after fleeing the U.K. following allegations of child sex abuse.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer hailed for ban on supplying drugs for executions

May 16, 2016

WASHINGTON – The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, in a position statement issued earlier this spring, said some of its drugs are not meant to be used for executions and that it would restrict those drugs' availability to government agencies that might use them to make compounds for lethal injections.

May 17

Service, not power, is the true Christian path

May 17, 2016

Saying Jesus' path is serving others, Pope Francis urged Christians on Tuesday to overcome the lure of worldliness and human ambition and warned against social climbers who are tempted to destroy the other in order to reach the top. His remarks came during his homily at the morning Mass celebrated in the Santa Marta residence.