VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican is strongly supporting a new international project for adult stem-cell research but is not directly involved and has made no financial contribution to the initiative, a Vatican spokesman said. The project, led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, established a consortium of researchers from several […]
Continue readingVATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI called for prayer and encouragement to nourish new vocations within the church, and reminded priests that it is their job to vigorously defend their flocks from evil. Pope Benedict marked the World Day of Prayer for Vocations by telling the faithful in St. Peter’s Square April 25 that […]
Continue readingWASHINGTON (CNS) — Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., one of many religious leaders decrying Arizona’s new immigration law, said he will ask the general counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to become involved in lawsuits expected to challenge its constitutionality In his “Monday Memo” posting on the diocesan website April 26, […]
Continue readingWARSAW, Poland (CNS) — Poland’s Catholic primate has urged fellow citizens to see the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others in a weekend air disaster as a “dramatic challenge” to build “a fuller community” at the national level and with neighboring states. “We are all asking ourselves the same painful question — […]
Continue readingVATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican has placed online a summary of its procedures for handling sex abuse allegations against priests, in order to illustrate the church’s commitment to protecting children and punishing offenders. The online “introductory guide” lists the investigative steps, trial options and possible penalties for clerical sex abuse of minors, including dismissal […]
Continue readingWASHINGTON (CNS) — Although John F. Kennedy’s famous speech in Houston nearly 50 years ago could be seen as “a passionate appeal for tolerance,” the candidate’s remarks about how his Catholicism would affect his presidency “profoundly undermined the place … of all religious believers in America’s public life,” said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver. […]
Continue readingMERRIAM, Kan. (CNS) — A proposal in the Kansas Legislature that would repeal the sales tax exemption for churches and religious nonprofit organizations is bad public policy, shortsighted and probably unconstitutional, according to the Kansas Catholic Conference. In a March 4 legislative alert, the agency representing the bishops of Kansas’ four Catholic dioceses said the […]
Continue readingNEW YORK (CNS) — The Nassau County Department of Health on New York’s Long Island is offering immune globulin or hepatitis A vaccine to parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa Park who might have been exposed to hepatitis A when receiving Communion at two Christmas Day Masses. Mary Ellen Laurain, a spokeswoman […]
Continue readingLONDON (CNS) — Three former Anglican bishops were received into the Catholic Church just hours after they officially gave up their ministries in the Church of England. Bishops Andrew Burnham of Ebbsfleet, John Broadhurst of Fulham and Keith Newton of Richborough will be soon ordained as priests for a special Anglican ordinariate that will be […]
Continue readingNEW ORLEANS (CNS) — As a native New Orleanian, Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond had walked through the front doors of venerable St. Louis Cathedral hundreds of times as a seminarian, priest and auxiliary bishop. But as applause erupted inside a packed cathedral Aug. 20, he suddenly realized he was walking not only into the cathedral […]
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