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July 24, 2019
WASHINGTON -- The world is "filled with people in need," including the unborn, trafficking victims, those "suffering the agonies of addiction and abuse, people with disabilities and still others facing famine and disease, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey.
MANCHESTER, England -- Four Irish bishops said abortion and same-sex marriage is about to be imposed on Northern Ireland after British politicians “hijacked” a bill intended for other purposes.
WARSAW, Poland -- A German bishop has vowed to intensify "preventive measures" after two church-sponsored reports confirmed systemic violence and abuse at his diocese's cathedral schools between 1945 and 1995, including 30 years when their famous choir was run by Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, brother of retired Pope Benedict XVI.
Maria Pham has been going to summer camp with St. Thomas Thiện’s chapter of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement for 11 years, but she couldn’t help feeling a little like a rookie this year.
When school let out in June, all my teachers could talk about was, “Don’t waste your summer” and “keep up with the world around you.” But the most notable thing I heard on the final day of class came from a friend. “It sucks, but the sucky things in life don’t stop just because we’re out (of school).”
For the first time in its 16-year existence, Salt + Light TV will be launching its fall season without the guiding hand of Fr. Thomas Rosica.
Belfast, Northern Ireland -- In the mid-19th century, St. Malachy’s Church on Alfred Street added to its existing structure the largest bell in a city full of Catholic churches and Protestant houses of worship.
WARSAW, Poland -- A Polish archbishop has condemned attacks on a gay pride rally by protesters claiming to be defending his cathedral.
July 25, 2019
Nearly three-quarters of Indigenous youth in Canada believe they will see meaningful reconciliation in their lifetime, an online poll has revealed.
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis appointed Cristiane Murray, a Brazilian journalist with Vatican Radio-Vatican News, to serve as vice director of the Vatican press office.
VATICAN CITY -- After nearly two weeks of massive protests in the fallout of scandals involving corruption and offensive private messages, Gov. Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico resigned from office, becoming the first governor to do so in the island's history.
VATICAN CITY -- With the recent appointments of Matteo Bruni as the new director of the Holy See Press Office and Cristiane Murray as vice director, the Vatican is taking another step forward in its continuing efforts to reform its communication structures.
The graves of some 300 School Sisters of Notre Dame in a cemetery on the order’s Watertown, Ont., convent property are expected to be moved to a Burlington Catholic cemetery in the near future as the sisters look to sell their long-time home.
LAC STE. ANNE, Alberta -- As she battled the aching pains of stage 4 intestinal cancer, Evelyn Mercredi slowly lifted herself from her walker and stepped into the waters of Lac Ste. Anne expecting -- and receiving -- healing.
At a recent barbeque, I was telling a long-time friend about a Colombian bishop who planned to exorcise his crime-ridden city of demons by dropping holy water from a helicopter.
CLARA, Ireland -- After Mass-goers’ prayers for golfer Shane Lowry were answered, there was “tremendous excitement” in his rural parish, said Fr. Joe Deegan, the local priest.
A Vatican decision to ban single-use plastics won’t by itself empty landfills or save the planet’s oceans, but it sends a message the world needs to hear.
Un-Canadian uniform In May our Knights of Columbus assembly held its last meeting of the 2018-19 Columbian year. Among the discussions, the most important one concerned the new Fourth Degree regalia.
July 26, 2019
Growing up, Rachel Wong had this image of what a Catholic woman looked like. A Catholic woman has a quiet and demure strength. She is sensitive, soft-spoken and wears a lace veil to church. Maybe she’s a homemaker, maybe she has her own career, but the Catholic woman Wong had in her mind was also a one-dimensional stereotype.
WASHINGTON -- The July 25 announcement by the Justice Department that it is reinstating the federal death penalty for the first time in 16 years was unwelcome news for Catholic leaders who have advocated against capital punishment.