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June 2018

June 19

New Jersey bishop decries mass shooting at arts festival

June 19, 2018

TRENTON, N.J. – No motive "can justify these ongoing, seemingly relentless acts of gun violence plaguing our cities," Bishop David M. O'Connell of Trenton said after a mass shooting took place in the early morning hours of June 17 during a city arts festival.

Synod working document: Young Catholics want pastoral renewal, a church that listens

June 19, 2018

VATICAN – Young Catholics are looking for a church that listens to their concerns, accompanies them in discerning their vocations and helps them confront the challenges they face, said a working document for the upcoming Synod of Bishops on young people.

Church on the Street: A reminder that ‘we are all one of them’

June 19, 2018

It is wonderful the theology we learn in coffee shops.

Psalms bring clarity to world, Cardinal Collins says

June 19, 2018

NEW YORK – Joy has to be rooted in the fullness of reality, the suffering of the Cross, the glory of the Resurrection and the providence of God, not in a gooey meringue of sweetness.

Figure of speech: Is anything so beautiful as the magical alchemy of sacred language?

June 19, 2018

I grew up in a hardware store. Not one of the fancy big box stores that occupy acres of inner city landscapes. My dad’s store was a small, rundown shack that he built as far out in the city as he could in order to afford the land.

Editorial: Stop the madness

June 19, 2018

If mercy and justice prevail, by the time this editorial is being read the American government will have reversed its immoral practice of separating migrant children from parents and sending children to separate detention centres.

Speaking out: Discerning my next steps

June 19, 2018

Recently I was able to visit Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ont. This site is a national shrine consecrated to the Canadian Martyrs, a group of eight Jesuits who lived in community with the Huron people and who were tortured and killed for their faith.

June 20

Religious leaders examine path ahead after court’s ruling against Trinity Western

June 20, 2018

OTTAWA – In upholding the right of provincial law bodies to deny accreditation to graduates of Trinity Western University, the Supreme Court of Canada has delivered a serious blow to religious freedom, say religious experts.

Pope sides with U.S. bishops' criticism of 'immoral' zero-tolerance illegal immigration policy

June 20, 2018

VATICAN – Pope Francis said he stands with the U.S. bishops who recently condemned the Trump administration's policy on immigration that has led to children being held in government shelters while their parents are sent to federal prisons.

Refugee sponsors brace for budget crunch

June 20, 2018

The churches that sponsor refugees may be nervous about their budgets over the next three years, but they will probably get through the coming flood of refugee arrivals, according to the organization that represents sponsorship agreement holders across the country.

Mexican bishops decry U.S. zero-tolerance policy of separating families at the border

June 20, 2018

MEXICO – The Mexican bishops' conference has criticized the practice of U.S. officials separating migrant families, joining a chorus of condemnation south of the border as Mexicans react with outrage to the sight and sounds of children being confined in shelters far from their parents.

Cardinal McCarrick removed from public ministry after sex abuse allegations found credible

June 20, 2018

WASHINGTON – Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, said June 20 he will no longer exercise any public ministry "in obedience" to the Vatican after an allegation he abused a teenager 47 years ago was found credible.

Trump signs executive order stopping family separation at the border

June 20, 2018

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed an executive order June 20 that halts his administration's family separation policy for families who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

June 21

Charles Lewis: Opus Dei myths far removed from reality

June 21, 2018

In 2010 I was invited to take part in an eight-day course called The Church Up Close. It was held in Rome in a stunning building occupied by Opus Dei called Santa Croce. It was located off the equally stunning Piazza Navona.

Peter Stockland: There’s a silver lining in the Trinity Western decision

June 21, 2018

Anyone looking for hope from the June 15 Supreme Court of Canada decision on Trinity Western University can find it shining in the pages of the judgment itself.

Cathy Majtenyi: Smartphone addiction puts youth mental health at risk

June 21, 2018

On June 1, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada held a national event that many of today’s young people would find highly challenging: spending one hour away from their smartphones.

There is no greater novelty than forgiveness, Pope says at Mass in Geneva

June 21, 2018

GENEVA – At the end of a day dedicated to celebrating 70 years of an ecumenical fellowship forged by the World Council of Churches, Pope Francis turned to the region's Catholics, reminding them of what lies at the heart of the faith.

Archdiocese of Toronto asking for help in summer jobs attestation fight

June 21, 2018

Catholics across the Archdiocese of Toronto are being asked to support an ongoing protest against the pro-abortion Canada Summer Jobs attestation with their voices and their wallets.

June 22

Individual bishops must decide about Communion in mixed marriages, Pope says

June 22, 2018

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM GENEVA – The question of allowing Protestants married to Catholics to receive Communion at Mass in special cases has to be decided by each individual bishop and cannot be decided by a bishops' conference, Pope Francis told reporters after a one-day ecumenical journey to Geneva.

Church now facing its own #MeToo moment, says Australian archbishop

June 22, 2018

ROME – In the wake of historic allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up in countries around the world, the Catholic Church is experiencing the same challenge that has brought a reckoning to those who used their authority to abuse or silence victims, said an Australian archbishop.