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June 2019

June 19

Cardinal joins fight against divisive bill

June 19, 2019

HONG KONG -- Cardinal John Tong Hon has joined with activists and religious leaders calling for the withdrawal of Hong Kong’s controversial extradition bill.

June 20

Abuse hotline gets go ahead by scandalized U.S. bishops

June 20, 2019

BALTIMORE -- Creation of a third-party system for receiving confidential reports of complaints against bishops was approved at the spring general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Fr. Favin ministered to the best of both worlds

June 20, 2019

Fresh from his ordination into the priesthood in 2017, Fr. Favin Alemão found himself at the centre of what seemed to be two different worlds: as associate pastor at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica and minister to the Ryerson University Catholic Students Association.

Speaking Out: Making the most of high school

June 20, 2019

“Take a risk, get involved, be committed!” Four years later and I finally understand the importance of my high school motto.

Luke Stocking: The swan dive of life

June 20, 2019

Graduation season is upon us. Universities, high schools, elementary schools and these days even kindergarten cohorts celebrate and move forward to places unknown to them.

MP Mark Warawa dies after battle with cancer

June 20, 2019

After a brief battle with cancer, British Columbia Conservative MP Mark Warawa has died. He was 69.

Charles Lewis: Orwell’s world too close for comfort

June 20, 2019

I read George Orwell’s 1984 when I was in high school. We were still in the midst of the Cold War and were taught it was a book about the evils of communism.

Historic cross on public property can stay, Supreme Court rules

June 20, 2019

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a 7-2 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of preserving a historic cross-shaped memorial in Bladensburg, Maryland saying the cross did not endorse religion.

Catholic aid group raises millions for persecuted Christians

June 20, 2019

VATICAN CITY -- Aid to the Church in Need raised over 111 million euros ($125 million) in 2018 to help support persecuted Christians, particularly in the Middle East where tens of thousands of Christians have been forced to flee their homes due to ongoing war and conflicts over the last decade.

Mexican priest accused of murder after celebrating victim's funeral Mass

June 20, 2019

MEXICO CITY -- A priest in Mexico City has been arrested for murder barely a week after he celebrated a funeral Mass for the victim.

Vatican official praises Catholic media for coverage of sex abuse crisis

June 20, 2019

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- In a remarkably frank and detailed speech, the Vatican official heading the department charged with reviewing clergy sexual abuse allegations told an assembly of Catholic journalists that his investigators and the press "share the same goal, which is the protection of minors, and we have the same wish to leave the world a little better than how we found it."

June 21

The Courage ministry: A journey of discovery

June 21, 2019

All her life, Rachel had carried guilt about being attracted to women. She hadn’t told her family or her friends, so opening up to strangers in a group setting made little sense.

Patriarch criticizes European governments on immigration

June 21, 2019

NAPLES, Italy -- The Mediterranean Sea, which has been and again could be a route for a meeting of peoples and cultures, instead is a "border not to be crossed" between the poor South and the wealthy North, said Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

Justice report worries free speech advocates

June 21, 2019

OTTAWA -- Free speech advocates are troubled by a House of Commons Justice Committee recommendation to reinstate a controversial section of the Canadian Human Rights Act dealing with hate speech.

Pope Francis: Theologians must be people of compassion, prayer

June 21, 2019

VATICAN CITY -- Theology develops through dialogue, not an aggressive defense of doctrine that seeks to impose its beliefs on others, Pope Francis said.

UN Day marks victory for religious freedom

June 21, 2019

OTTAWA -- Getting the United Nations and the European Union to acknowledge the persecution of Christians is an ongoing challenge, but there are signs of progress, says Marcela Szymanski, a lobbyist for Aid to the Church in Need.

Report: U.K. church officials 'deliberately misled' U.S. archdiocese

June 21, 2019

MANCHESTER, England -- An English church official "deliberately misled" a U.S. archdiocese into harboring a pedophile priest and helping him to escape justice for a quarter of a century, said a report from a child abuse inquiry.

Editorial: Positive steps

June 21, 2019

A quarter century ago, towards the end of a year in which her children had been running amok, Queen Elizabeth lamented her annus horribilis, her horrible year. The bishops of America know that feeling.

Readers Speak Out: June 23, 2019

June 21, 2019

Eternal damnation Re: Will there be a day when hell is empty? (May 19): The purpose of this letter is to correct a theological misconception in a statement in Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s column.

Church has role to play in debate over gene editing, says Catholic scientist

June 21, 2019

Canadians haven’t quite made up their minds about designer babies, but at least one Catholic scientist thinks the Church should be part of the conversation about editing human genes.