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January 2020

January 13

McCarrick moves from Franciscan friary to new location

January 13, 2020

WASHINGTON -- Theodore McCarrick, the former cardinal who was laicized by the Vatican in 2019 after numerous claims of abuse by him were substantiated, moved Jan. 3 from the Capuchin Franciscan friary in Kansas where he had been living since late 2018.

Baptism is first step to humility, Pope Francis says

January 13, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- In asking to be baptized, Jesus exemplifies the Christian calling to follow along the path of humility and meekness rather than strutting about and being a showoff, Pope Francis said.

Ontario Catholic teachers plan one-day strike Jan. 21

January 13, 2020

Ontario’s Catholic teachers will be holding a province-wide one-day strike Jan. 21.

January 14

Publisher won’t remove Benedict XVI as co-author of book on priestly celibacy

January 14, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Retired Pope Benedict XVI wants his name removed as co-author of a book defending priestly celibacy but the publisher insists Benedict wrote the book with Cardinal Robert Sarah.

Community shares in the grief over Ukrainian airline victims

January 14, 2020

A solemn vigil for seven students — including a Catholic high school student and an adult studying English at a Catholic school — began with two students singing the haunting words of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence,” and for the most part it was an evening of silence as hundreds gathered to remember the young lives cut short Jan. 8 by the downing of a Ukrainian airliner over the skies of Tehran, Iran.

Government launches consultation on assisted suicide

January 14, 2020

OTTAWA -- As the federal government launches a public consultation on laws governing assisted suicide, opponents are calling any move to expand the practice proof of the slippery slope they have long predicted.

Quebec to take ethics, religious culture out of school curriculum

January 14, 2020

QUEBEC CITY -- The government of Quebec is about to eliminate its Ethics and Religious Culture curriculum, which replaced catechesis in schools in 2008.

January 15

Charles Lewis: Emergency brakes for slippery slope

January 15, 2020

I write a lot about euthanasia and associated issues. I will not dispute this nor will I apologize. What I think drives me is not only the abhorrence of such an evil practice but that there are ways to safeguard ourselves and our friends and family from this evil. However, to a large extent we are failing to do so. We need to wake up.

Speaking Out: Getting involved is a group effort

January 15, 2020

The Catholic youth are the future leaders of the Catholic community, but how do we get youth involved? At some parishes that may be a problem, but not at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in north Toronto.

There’s triumph and tears for youth in pro-life cause

January 15, 2020

Presenting a pro-life talk to a small group of people in Thunder Bay, Ont., Danae Turgeon sounded earnest, and with good reason. Doing pro-life work means encountering a lot of opposition, she said.

Committee to recommend Australian bishops give laity certain controls

January 15, 2020

YANGON, Myanmar -- A six-person committee charged with reviewing church governance and management is expected to present Australia's bishops with a plan to overhaul the management of the church in the country.

Bishops confront ‘complex’ issue

January 15, 2020

JERUSALEM -- Finding solutions to the situation in Gaza is a complicated task, said Archbishop Richard Gagnon of Winnipeg, Man.

January 16

Editorial: Victims of madness

January 16, 2020

What does war look like? It has many faces and countless innocent victims.

Readers Speak Out: January 19, 2020

January 16, 2020

Moral cowardice Canada’s ministers of foreign affairs and defence, Francoise-Philippe Champagne and Harjit Sajjan, should not have implied that our government generally supports U.S President Donald Trump’s actions toward Iran, including his order to assassinate an Iranian general on Iraqi soil.

Homeschooling mom fills in gap on martyrs

January 16, 2020

VANCOUVER -- Vancouver mom Bonnie Way has long been inspired by the Canadian martyrs, eight Jesuit missionaries who in the 1600s gave their lives to preach the Gospel to North America’s Indigenous peoples.

Will 2020 be turning point for women at the Vatican?

January 16, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis opened 2020 with a strong call to acknowledge the dignity of women, end violence against them and stop the exploitation of women’s bodies.

Pope Francis speaks to U.S. bishops about pro-life issues, transgender ideology

January 16, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Protecting human life is the "preeminent" social and political issue, Pope Francis said, and he asked the head of the U.S. bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities to convey his support to the pro-life community.

Glen Argan: Maltese set an example for hospitality

January 16, 2020

Many posters promoting the theme of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity — “They Showed Us Unusual Kindness” — include photos of a small battered rowboat to illustrate the shipwreck which landed St. Paul on the island of Malta. The story in the Acts of the Apostles (28:1-10) is short on details about that unusual kindness.

Marxist communism reborn in Spain, cardinal says

January 16, 2020

VALENCIA, Spain -- A Spanish cardinal warned Catholics that their country is on the verge of a communist revival.

January 17

Francis Campbell: Doing your best is 2020’s best resolution

January 17, 2020

The early days of 2020 have already relegated many best intentions and New Year’s resolutions to the try-again-next-year bin.