September 2019

Keeping faith in the face of a hurricane

September 12, 2019

WASHINGTON -- Kathy Nottage, a resident of Elbow Cay — a 13 kilometre-long stretch in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas — has had to take a lot of things by faith in the days since Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas and left much of the islands in rubble or underwater.

ShareLife looks on bright side of campaign

September 12, 2019

ShareLife’s 2019 campaign may not have reached its goal, nor matched last year’s standard, but Arthur Peters is still viewing the campaign through a positive lens.

A silence that is truly golden

September 12, 2019

I rarely shut up. I also have a loud voice, though most of the time I am not aware how loud I am.

Mugabe’s complicated legacy

September 12, 2019

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Robert Mugabe, who led Zimbabwe to independence from Britain in 1980 and then crushed his opposition during nearly four decades of rule, always liked to be seen as a devout Catholic.

Supreme Court allows Trump asylum-seekers rule

September 12, 2019

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court issued an unsigned order late Sept. 11 that will temporarily allow the Trump administration to enforce its new rule preventing many Central American migrants from seeking asylum in the United States, while the legal battle over this issue continues to work its way through the courts.

Fr. Raymond de Souza: A treasured teacher puts Dante in focus

September 12, 2019

In a few weeks, his many admirers will celebrate the 30th priestly anniversary of Fr. Paul Pearson of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Toronto.

Editorial: Courting sainthood

September 12, 2019

In the words of Pope Francis, to give the best of oneself in sports is also a call to aspire to holiness.

Vatican: German synod plans must conform to church law

September 12, 2019

VATICAN CITY -- The German bishops' plans for a two-year process of consultation and deliberation on key issues facing the Catholic Church must conform to universal church law and must be approved by the pope, said the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Cardinal Etchegaray a key papal envoy

September 13, 2019

VATICAN CITY -- Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, a longtime Vatican official and papal envoy who was sent to some of the world’s most wounded and challenging places, died in France Sept. 4. He was 96.

Rep. Smith: Born Alive bill is 'pro-child, human rights' measure

September 13, 2019

WASHINGTON -- At a Sept. 10 hearing on the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, said the U.S. House "needs to vote now and approve this humane, pro-child, human rights legislation."

Pope Francis explains giving St. Peter's relics to Orthodox

September 13, 2019

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis said giving fragments of St. Peter's bones to the head of the church founded by Peter's brother, St. Andrew, was meant to be a reminder and encouragement of the journey toward Christian unity.

Pope Francis to visit Thailand, Japan in November

September 13, 2019

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis will finally fulfill his desire to be a missionary to Japan when he visits the country, as well as Thailand, Nov. 20-26, the Vatican announced.

McLuhan and Trudeau: Penpals in new age

September 13, 2019

We live in the age of identity politics, where political and cultural battle lines are drawn around who and what we are. But this is not so new. Forty years ago, Canada’s most powerful politician and its most famous academic were thinking together about media, message, image and identity.

Carnegie Hall artists help moms in need compose lullabies

September 13, 2019

NEW YORK -- Lullabies have been sung by parents to their children for time immemorial.

New admission of abuse complicity could cost Australian church millions

September 13, 2019

SYDNEY -- The Australian Catholic Church could face tens of millions dollars in compensation claims after the Diocese of Ballarat in Victoria state admitted, for the first time, it knew of the behavior of a pedophile priest yet continued to move him around from parish to parish.

Week of Sep 13, 2019

September 13, 2019

Harry McAvoy: Creating purpose from life’s lemons

September 13, 2019

Way back in Grade 10 religion class at Michael Power High School, Sr. Virginia had us read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. In this memorable book about the Holocaust, Frankl writes about why some of his fellow prisoners survived the concentration camps, while many didn’t.

Diocese of Rochester, N.Y., files bankruptcy

September 13, 2019

GATES, N.Y. -- In the wake of nearly 50 lawsuits filed against it since New York's Child Victims Act took effect Aug. 14, the Diocese of Rochester filed for reorganization Sept. 12, under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Christianity's future in Middle East has reached defining moment

September 13, 2019

WASHINGTON -- In a room full of religious leaders, politicians and other supporters of protecting Christians threatened in the Middle East, Sam Brownback, ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, urged more prayer and action to continue supporting persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

Artists work on restoring St. Catherine's cathedral for 175 anniversary

September 14, 2019

As Carlos Nunes and his team uncover the visual glories that have been plastered, painted and papered over in historic churches, he can’t help but joke about what that work has meant to him and the livelihood of other fine art restorers.