VATICAN CITY – If he looked around the chapel during his Lenten retreat this year, Pope Benedict XVI would have seen an all-male assembly. The absence of women was not deliberate. The invitation to attend the pope’s spiritual exercises goes out to the top two or three officials of Vatican agencies, and almost all of...Read More
CHICAGO – Pro-lifers attending an Illinois conference envisioned a nation without Roe v. Wade, and a speaker told them there are many signs the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion could be overturned. “We see signs everywhere that an overturn of Roe v. Wade may soon be a reality,” said Ann Scheidler of the Pro-Life...Read More
One may think running 3,400 miles from California to Rhode Island would form a blister or two on a runner’s feet. Not so for one Loyola Blakefield, Towson, alumnus who changed running shoes every 100 miles to ensure his feet were as comfortable and fresh as possible during a five and a half month run...Read More
UPDATED ROME – The Rome diocesan office charged with promoting the sainthood cause of Pope John Paul II has exceeded its postage budget because of increased requests for prayer cards and relics of the late pope. “We were getting about 50 requests a day, but overnight it grew to between 500 and 1,000 requests,” a...Read More
DES MOINES, Iowa – Archbishop Jerome G. Hanus of Dubuque reacted with “deep sadness” after the Iowa House of Representatives Feb. 22 passed a bill to allow the cloning of human embryos for research. “With deep sadness, I regret the recent action by the Iowa House and Senate to change Iowa’s law which banned human...Read More
NEW YORK – Violence against women, both in the United States and around the world, is on the rise and must be addressed with a potent combination of social, legal and economic remedies, said a panel of speakers Feb. 27 in New York. “Addressing Violence Against Women” was the topic of a panel discussion at...Read More
VATICAN CITY – Christians tempted to set aside their belief in Christ as the only savior in order to promote dialogue with others are being tempted by the Antichrist, retired Italian Cardinal Giacomo Biffi told Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal Biffi, who has been leading a Feb. 25-March 3 retreat for the pope and top Vatican...Read More
For almost 10 years, the people of St. Stephen, Bradshaw, have had a special relationship with the parishioners of St. Steven in Mombasa, Kenya. So when St. Steven could only finish two floors of a church addition they were building, they called for help from their friends across the ocean. The parishioners of St. Stephen...Read More
A new vice president for academic affairs at Loyola College in Maryland, Baltimore, has been named. Dr. Timothy Law Snyder, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fairfield University in Connecticut, will begin his duties this summer.Read More
While sitting in her cozy dining room with pictures and articles scattered across the table, Regina Curran, 81, reminisced about her many years of involvement in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Baltimore City. Ms. Curran has been walking in the St. Patrick’s Day parade for more than 30 years, and this year will be...Read More
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Diocese has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to handle more than 140 clergy sexual abuse claims equitably. It is the fifth and largest U.S. diocese to do so since 2004. San Diego Bishop Robert H. Brom announced the decision Feb. 27, the day before the first abuse lawsuit...Read More
WASHINGTON – After a quarter-century as head of an organization working to change the Catholic Church’s stand on abortion, Frances Kissling is stepping down as president of Catholics for a Free Choice. Ms. Kissling and others describe Catholics for a Free Choice, which supports legal abortion, as a “church reform group.”Read More