FAIRFAX, Calif. – While the Catholic Church in California “does not seek to impose our values on anyone,” it is nonetheless called “to be a strong moral voice on what we believe is necessary for the well-being of society and the good of the human family,” the president of the California Conference of Catholic Bishops...Read More
WASHINGTON – The widely publicized suicide of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi in September not only put the spotlight on the harassment of gay teenagers but also highlighted the possible role of religious groups in instilling negative views about homosexuals.Read More
WASHINGTON – Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, R.I., and 15 Catholic pastors have called on a federal immigration official to stop massive immigration raids in Rhode Island for the time being and to allow agents who disagree with such raids on moral grounds to step aside as conscientious objectors.Read More
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey, near Dubuque, is known for the lives of prayer the Trappistine Sisters lead there and for the delicious caramels they make. Now an even wider audience will get a glimpse into their lives. A four-part television series, “The Monastery,” filmed in Dubuque a year ago, will...Read More
When I was a teenager, my formative, if largely vicarious, political experience was the civil rights movement. It was a time of great issues bravely contested, a moment replete with heroes and villains. It was George Wallace vowing “Segregation forever!” Bull Connor setting dogs on demonstrators, and Klansmen bombing black churches. It was the March...Read More
VATICAN CITY – Israel postponed a major negotiating session with Vatican officials on questions regarding the church’s legal and financial status in the Holy Land. The Vatican expressed disappointment at yet another delay in the on-again, off-again talks, which began 15 years ago. The meeting of the joint commission on church-state issues had been scheduled...Read More
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI has said he’s heading to Spain Nov. 6-7 as a pilgrim, and the trip will give him an opportunity to participate in the most popular foot pilgrimage in Europe, the “camino” or journey to Santiago de Compostela.Read More
Bishop W. Francis Malooly may be the vicar for the western part of the archdiocese, but for some 23 years he has made his home in the 300-family, urban vicariate church of St. Thomas More in Baltimore.Read More
DETROIT – Father Anton Kcira first began to notice the absence of more and more of his regular parishioners at St. Paul (Albanian) Church in suburban Rochester Hills back in 2005, and the loss due to deportations has escalated since then. “Last year we lost about 200 families, and Our Lady of Albanians lost 120,”...Read More
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican hopes the death penalty will not be carried out against former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, 74, said the Vatican spokesman.Read More