Browse › 2020 › February

February 2020

February 9

Pro-life group isn’t pulling any punches

February 9, 2020

EDMONTON -- Edmonton Prolife’s new executive director is planning an ambitious public campaign that emphasizes some uncomfortable, and perhaps unknown, facts about abortion.

World Day sets sights on reconciliation

February 9, 2020

WINNIPEG -- The Paradis brothers — Francois and Edmund — somehow knew they were destined for the life of an Oblate missionary.

February 10

Pope Francis praises Knights for aid to Middle East Christians

February 10, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis praised the Knights of Columbus for their charitable efforts and thanked them especially for helping Christians in the Middle East.

U.S. bishops ask Pope Francis about Amazon synod

February 10, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Talking about debates, differences and discernment, Pope Francis told a group of U.S. bishops that people focused on the possibility of ordaining some married men and women deacons for service in the Amazon will be disappointed in his apostolic exhortation.

February 11

Salvadoran cardinal calls for prudence, patience amid political turmoil

February 11, 2020

MEXICO CITY -- A Salvador cardinal urged "prudence" from the politicians in the Central American country as the president pushed congress to approve a package of security spending.

Cardinal Marx won't seek second term as president of German bishops

February 11, 2020

BONN, Germany -- Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 66, announced that at the full plenary session of the German bishops' conference in early March, he will not be a candidate for another term as president.

Fr. Alan J. Fogarty appointed Salt + Light CEO

February 11, 2020

Jesuit Fr. Alan J. Fogarty has been appointed chief executive officer of Salt + Light Media, effective Aug. 1.

February 12

Pope Francis releases apostolic exhortation on Amazon synod

February 12, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis said he dreams of an Amazon region where the rights of the poor and indigenous are respected, local cultures are preserved, nature is protected, and the Catholic Church is present and active with "Amazonian features."

Speaking Out: The smallest things can mean a lot

February 12, 2020

I volunteer as a catechist at our parish, so believe me when I tell you that teaching elementary aged children is not the easiest, especially when talking about difficult topics like understanding Church teaching.

Pro-life group looking for ‘passionate’ leaders

February 12, 2020

CALGARY -- Mount Royal University student Mikayla Bezooyen said she and her fellow MRU Pro-Life Club members relish engaging in sometimes heated conversations with pro-choice students who approach them on campus.

Cathy Majtenyi: Time to stand up for the gift of life

February 12, 2020

It’s an impossibly tight deadline that the Trudeau government has deliberately created, but one we must respond to with great urgency.

Pope Francis: No 'quick fix' to priest shortage in Amazon

February 12, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis acknowledged the serious shortage of priests in remote areas of the Amazon, but he insisted not all avenues have been exhausted to address the issue.

Don't try to 'clericalize' women in Amazon church, Pope Francis says

February 12, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis released his document on the Amazon region on the 15th anniversary of the assassination in Brazil of U.S. Notre Dame Sister Dorothy Stang, a missionary who defended the poor and the environment.

True sorrow for sins is a gift from God, Pope Francis says

February 12, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Recognizing and repenting for one's own sins and errors is difficult, but essential, Pope Francis said.

February 13

Editorial: Law goes to pot

February 13, 2020

When Ottawa legalized recreational marijuana in 2018, Canada’s bishops were dubious about claims the new law would sharply reduce youth pot consumption or eliminate the black market.

Readers Speak Out: February 16, 2020

February 13, 2020

Plain wrong Regarding the government’s consultations on euthanasia, it is obvious that the justice department is making a pretence of listening to input from Canadians, as happened when euthanasia was legalized in 2016.

Knights of Columbus remove secrecy around initiation ceremony

February 13, 2020

Secret, lengthy and complex rituals for fledgling Knights of Columbus have become a thing of the past.

Brazilian bishops 'surprised' at Amazon post-synodal document

February 13, 2020

SAO PAULO -- Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on the pan-Amazonian synod surprised many church workers who live in the region and elicited a range of reactions.

Pope Francis shares frustration with reaction to Amazon document

February 13, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis told a group of U.S. bishops that, like them, he is accused of not being courageous or not listening to the Holy Spirit when he says or does something someone disagrees with -- like not mentioning married priests in his document on the Amazon.

Bob Brehl: Heirloom triggers life-learning memory

February 13, 2020

Francis Campbell’s column last week about a 200-year-old teapot, a story steeped in family history and faith, brought to mind a three-decade-old tale about another family heirloom.